ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida reported more than 9,000 new daily coronavirus cases Thursday and at least 81 more deaths.

The numbers were released from the Florida Department of Health. Nearly 2,000 of the new cases were in Miami-Dade County, which has been the state's biggest hotspot since March.

Over the past week, Florida averaged more than 7,080 newly reported cases per day, an increase from about 2,250 at the start of October.

The seven-day average of reported deaths is about 64, up from 54 a week earlier. That compares to a peak of 185 in early August. At least 18,030 people have died of COVID-19 in Florida since March.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a video statement Thursday, the first time he's publicly discussed the pandemic in a few weeks. He said he's met with Trump administration officials and hospital CEOs regarding a vaccine, and that Florida has already bought 5 million needles, syringes and alcohol swabs that will be used to administer the vaccines.

Potential vaccines are still in the trial phase and have not been approved. They must be safe and effective before approval for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

With a COVID-19 vaccine drawing closer, public health officials across the country are gearing up for the biggest vaccination effort in U.S. history — a monumental undertaking that must distribute hundreds of millions of doses, prioritize who’s first in line and ensure that people who get the initial shot return for the necessary second one.

The push could begin as early as next month, when federal officials say the first vaccine may be authorized for emergency use and immediately deployed to high-risk groups, such as health care workers.

DeSantis didn’t address Thursday the concerns of several mayors who have called for him to change his approach toward the coronavirus to slow its spread. The mayors held a news conference Wednesday, where they suggested he issue a statewide mask mandate and allow cities and counties to enact local measures, such as additional penalties for not wearing masks.

___

Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.