12,873 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Thursday; 161 new deaths
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 12,873 Thursday. According to the state's daily update, the total number of cases in Florida is now 1,613,884.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 24,739, an increase of 161 since Wednesday's update. In addition, a total of 389 non-Floridians have died in the state.
Locally, Hillborough County reported 17 new deaths, Sumter reported seven, Polk reported five, Citrus reported four, Pinellas reported two, while DeSoto, Hernando, Highlands, and Pasco each reported one.
Of the 1,613,884 cases, 1,584,442 are Florida residents while 29,442 are non-Florida residents in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
- Hillsborough: 94,870
- Pinellas: 55,564
- Sarasota: 23,227
- Manatee: 26,755
- Sumter: 6,605
- Polk: 46,855
- Citrus: 8,109
- Hernando: 9,230
- Pasco: 27,610
- Highlands: 6,032
- DeSoto: 3,254
- Hardee: 2,456
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients. As of Thursday, 7,026 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19, with a state total of 69,282 having been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
Vaccination efforts continue across the state. Wednesday, 30,249 more patients received their first vaccine dose in Florida, for a total of 1,059,041. Meanwhile, 5,195 more people received their second and final dose, meaning 123,971 have completed both rounds.
RELATED: COVID-19 vaccine distribution information in Tampa Bay area counties
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 rate of positive new tests has declined from its summertime peak, remaining below 10% for several months, but it reached that point again during the holiday season and into 2021. It was at 8.54% on Wednesday, the most recent date available.
After peaking in July, the number of deaths also began a downward trend in August that continued until November -- though "significant delays" in data reporting, as the state says, make interpreting short-term trends from that statistic less reliable.
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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
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
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