This browser does not support the Video element.
Florida officials prep vaccines after FDA go-ahead
Pinellas will be one of the two first counties in Florida with the soon-to-be approved COVID-19 vaccine, the state Department of Health announced Friday.
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 10,577 Saturday. According to the state's daily update, the total number of cases in Florida is now 1,116,973.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 19,785, an increase of 71 since Friday's update. In addition, a total of 264 non-Floridians have died in the state.
Locally, Hernando County is reporting four new deaths, Pinellas, Manatee and DeSoto Counties are each reporting two, while Citrus, Hillsborough, Polk and Highlands Counties are each reporting one new death.
Of the 1,116,973 cases, 1,098,341 are Florida residents while 18,632 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
Hillsborough: 64,999
Pinellas: 37,387
Sarasota: 15,659
Manatee: 18,720
Sumter: 3,987
Polk: 30,967
Citrus: 5,469
Hernando: 5,895
Pasco: 17,578
Highlands: 4,261
DeSoto: 2,593
Hardee: 1,863
SOURCE: Florida Department of Health
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients. As of Saturday, 4,499 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 57,986 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 10,394,916 residents have been tested in the state as of Saturday -- over a third of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.
LINK: County-by-county Florida coronavirus cases and ZIP code map
SOURCE: Florida Department of Health
The number of new cases had generally been trending down in the fall, mirroring the number of tests being given. But it has begun to increase again. The 11,699 new cases reported Friday was the highest single-day increase since July.
The rate of positive new tests has declined from its summertime peak, remaining below 10% for several months, but it has also begun to increase again. It was at 7.91% on Friday, the most recent date available.
After peaking in July, the number of deaths also began a downward trend in August that continued through October -- though "significant delays" in data reporting, as the state says, make interpreting short-term trends from that statistic less reliable.
COVID UPDATES: Download the free FOX 13 News app for ongoing coronavirus coverage and live updates
SOURCE: Florida Department of Health
PDF: DOH's full county-by-county COVID-19 case report
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, and data can take days or weeks to validate. 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.
MAP: Florida coronavirus cases by county
This browser does not support the Video element.
Doctor debunks mask myths
Dr. Joette Giovinco goes over some of the more prevalent myths about masks and COVID-19.
If you feel sick:
The Florida Department of Health has opened 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