Nearly 10,000 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Wednesday; 48 new deaths

Sarasota, Manatee hospitals say space is not the issue

The hospitals say they are capable of handling the COVID-19 patient-load in terms of beds, but staffing is about to become a big issue.

TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 9,989 since yesterday morning as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 223,783.

The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 3,889, an increase of 48 since Tuesday's update. Another 102 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Polk County reported seven new deaths, Pinellas reported three, and Sumter reported one.

Of the 223,783 cases, 220,492 are Florida residents while 3,291 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 16,099
Pinellas: 9,395
Sarasota: 2,334
Manatee: 4,080
Sumter: 516
Polk: 5,895
Citrus: 457
Hernando: 659
Pasco: 3,193
Highlands: 457
DeSoto: 775
Hardee: 536

The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients or those currently hospitalized. As of Wednesday, 16,758 Floridians had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 2,322,389 people have been tested in the state as of Wednesday -- about 10.8% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.

LINK: County-by-county Florida coronavirus cases and ZIP code map

Florida resident cases in orange; Florida resident deaths in gray. Source: Fla. Dept. of Health.

Wednesday's total new case number represents the 36th straight day with new cases near or over 1,000 per day. The state set yet another new daily record over the weekend.

The rate of positive new tests has increased during that time period. It was at 14.15% on Tuesday, the most recent date available.

Source: Fla. Dept. of Health

Experts say the current spike is partly due to more tests being given, but also a result of reopening the state.

Gov. Ron DeSantis says the recent case increases are largely due to testing of "high-risk" individuals like farmworkers in the state's rural counties, prisoners, and residents of long-term care facilities, though he has more recently noted the "erosion" in social distancing, especially among the younger demographics in social setting. That prompted him to order all bars to cease serving alcohol.

While the number of new cases has trended up over the last few weeks, the number of deaths has appeared to remain flat, though "significant delays" in data reporting, as the state says, make interpreting short-term trends from that statistic less reliable.

Source: Fla. Dept. of Health

Editor's note: The number of new cases and deaths reported each day does not necessarily reflect the day that the case was confirmed. The state says some private testing labs dump large batches of test results which include cases from previous days. Stats for today and previous days will likely change in the future as the state reviews more cases and updates retroactive data.

The state's number of deaths represents permanent Florida residents who have died from COVID-19.

Doctor explains the facts about masks

What types of masks work, how do you wear them, and who should not wear masks?

If you feel sick:

The Florida Department of Health has a COVID-19 Call Center at 1-866-779-6121. Agents will answer questions around the clock. Questions may also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours.

LINK: Florida's COVID-19 website

CORONAVIRUS IN FLORIDA: What you need to know

AROUND THE WORLD: CoronavirusNOW.com

Map of known COVID-19 cases:

MOBILE APP USERS: Click here for map