13,990 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Wednesday; 169 new deaths
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 13,990 Wednesday. According to the state's daily update, the total number of cases in Florida is now 1,517,472.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 23,396, an increase of 169 since Tuesday's update. In addition, a total of 363 non-Floridians have died in the state.
Locally, Pinellas County reported 17 new deaths, Hillsborough reported 11, Polk reported five, Citrus reported three, Hernando and Manatee each reported two, while DeSoto and Pasco each reported one.
Of the 1,517,472 cases, 1,490,148 are Florida residents while 27,324 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
- Hillsborough: 89,043
- Pinellas: 52,357
- Sarasota: 21,898
- Manatee: 25,379
- Sumter: 6,165
- Polk: 43,839
- Citrus: 7,660
- Hernando: 8,606
- Pasco: 25,785
- Highlands: 5,668
- DeSoto: 3,153
- Hardee: 2,328
Florida new resident cases in orange; new resident deaths in gray. Note: Deaths usually appear to be trending down because of the delay in confirming the last few days of data. Source: Fla. Dept. of Health.
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients. As of Wednesday, 7,582 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19, with a state total of 66,634 having been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
Vaccination efforts continue across the state. Tuesday, 38,880 more patients received their first vaccine dose in Florida, for a total of 646,327. Meanwhile, 8,687 more people received their second and final dose, meaning 61,151 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 19,473 new cases reported Thursday was the largest single-day increase of the entire pandemic.
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. It was at 10.17% on Tuesday, 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. The 164 deaths reported Thursday was among the highest single-death totals reported in the pandemic.
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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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