2,583 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Thursday; 211 new deaths
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 2,583 Thursday. According to the state's daily update, the total number of cases in Florida is now 654,731.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 12,326, an increase of 211 since Wednesday's update. In addition, a total of 156 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Hillsborough County reported 11 new deaths; Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota each reported four; Citrus, Hernando, Polk, and Sumter each reported three, while Pasco reported two.
Of the 654,731 cases, 647,318 are Florida residents while 7,413 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
- Hillsborough: 38,917
- Pinellas: 20,655
- Sarasota: 7,500
- Manatee: 10,772
- Sumter: 2,069
- Polk: 18,121
- Citrus: 2,386
- Hernando: 2,821
- Pasco: 8,411
- Highlands: 1,947
- DeSoto: 1,526
- Hardee: 1,190
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 Thursday, 2,922 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 40,517 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 4,857,274 residents have been tested in the state as of Thursday -- about 22.6% 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
Today's new case number represents the 100th straight day with new cases near or over 1,000 per day. The rate of positive new tests increased during that time period, but has begun to trend down, remaining below 10% for over three weeks. It was at 5.54% on Wednesday, the most recent date available.
The number of new cases has generally trended down over the last few weeks, mirroring the number of tests being given. The 1,823 new cases reported Tuesday was the lowest single-day increase since mid-June.
After peaking in July, the number of deaths also began a downward trend in August -- 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
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
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
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