2,145 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Wednesday; 105 new deaths

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TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 2,145 Wednesday. According to the state's daily update, the total number of cases in Florida is now 762,534.

The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 16,210, an increase of 105 since Tuesday's update. In addition, a total of 203 non-Floridians have died in the state.

Locally, Sarasota County reported 12 new deaths, Hernando reported four, Manatee reported three, Pinellas and Highlands each reported two, while Hillsborough and Polk each reported one.

Of the 762,534 cases, 752,845 are Florida residents while 9,689 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 45,948
Pinellas: 24,422
Sarasota: 9,156
Manatee: 12,674
Sumter: 2,784
Polk: 22,061
Citrus: 3,070
Hernando: 3,493
Pasco: 10,316
Highlands: 2,478
DeSoto: 1,636
Hardee: 1,547

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, 2,125 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 47,628 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 5,763,829 residents have been tested in the state as of Wednesday -- about 26.8% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.

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

Source: Fla. Dept. of Health

The number of new cases had generally been trending down in September, mirroring the number of tests being given. But it has begin to increase again. The 4,044 new cases reported Saturday was the highest since August 21.

The rate of positive new tests has declined from its summertime peak, remaining below 10% for two months. It was at 6.74% on Tuesday, the most recent date available.

After peaking in July, the number of deaths also began a downward trend in August that continued through September -- 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: Fla. Dept. 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. 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

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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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