Chaos over true daily COVID deaths: Florida and Delaware skew Johns Hopkins' figures with massive data dump taking total up by 300% - but true figure is significantly lower The daily death toll trebled in 24 hours from 321 Thursday to 891 Friday, according to Johns Hopkins data Florida only reports its COVID-19 figures once a week on a Friday, so all deaths were added in one lump sum Johns Hopkins data shows Florida made up almost half - 409 - of the daily tally Friday, as the state total death toll climbed from 38,670 last week to 39,079 To add to the confusion, the Florida Health Department announced a far lower figure of 108 deaths Delaware also sent total deaths skyrocketing, as officials added 130 deaths Friday following a state review None of the deaths were in the last 24 hours with just 2 all week - instead deaths were between mid-May 2020 and late June 2021 Michigan also reported 23 deaths, up from zero Thursday, as it posts COVID-19 data just twice a week Taking out these three anomalies, daily deaths instead climbed 2.5 percent from 321 Thursday to 329 By Rachel Sharp For Dailymail.com Published: 16:31 BST, 31 July 2021 | Updated: 16:48 BST, 31 July 2021 Viewcomments Advertisement A massive data dump by Florida and Delaware has skewed the daily COVID-19 death figures compiled by the widely-respected Johns Hopkins University and made it appear that they jumped by 300 percent in a single day Friday. The figure trebled from 321 on Thurs to 891 on Friday raising fears that the more highly contagious Delta variant is now translating into spiraling fatalities nationwide. However, a closer look at the data shows it has been caused by a Florida made up almost half of the daily tally, with 409 of the deaths recorded coming from the Sunshine State. Florida only reports its COVID-19 figures once a week on a Friday, meaning all deaths over the last seven days are added to the total in one lump sum and that the real daily change in the last 24 hours remains unknown. The state's weekly fatality figures are also somewhat unclear. The Florida Health Department announced a far lower figure of 108 deaths for the last week. However, the state also reported its total deaths now stand at 39,079 - 409 deaths higher than the total of 38,670 one week earlier, hence the figure recorded by John Hopkins. Delaware also played a major part in sending the figures skyrocketing, as officials announced 130 deaths Friday. Yet, none of the deaths were within the last 24 hours with just two COVID-19 fatalities actually recorded in the state over the last week. Instead, the addition of the 130 came from a state review of death certificates, with the deaths occurring between mid-May 2020 and late June this year. Michigan also contributed to Friday's confusion, reporting 23 deaths compared to zero the previous day. In a similar sense to Florida, the reason for this is that the state only posts its COVID-19 data twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. While the differences in reporting practices across states, makes it difficult to give a precise change in daily death toll nationwide, this reveals are far less frightening picture than first thought. Following the removal of these three anomalies, daily deaths instead climbed 2.5 percent from 321 Thursday to 329. The current seven-day average of new daily coronavirus cases in the U.S. is roughly 67,000, according to a CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins University data - an increase of 53 per cent compared to a week ago. The highest seven-day day average of new COVID cases recorded in the U.S. was roughly 251,000 on January 8. Case counts had dropped off dramatically in the spring as the country's vaccination campaign picked up speed. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility