3,197 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Saturday; 148 new deaths

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Senator Marco Rubio wrote a letter to President Donald Trump asking for 10 million rapid COVID-19 tests to be distributed to Florida.

The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 3,197 Saturday as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 619,003.

The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 11,105, an increase of 148 since Friday's update. In addition, a total of 144 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Polk County is reporting 13 new deaths, Pinellas and Highlands Counties are each reporting five, Hernando and Hillsborough Counties are reporting four, Manatee County is reporting three and Sumter and Citrus Counties are each reporting two new deaths.

Of the 619,003 cases, 612,206 are Florida residents while 6,797 are non-Florida residents currently in the state. 

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 36,784

Pinellas: 19,813

Sarasota: 7,162

Manatee: 10,391

Sumter: 1,832

Polk: 16,803

Citrus: 2,069

Hernando: 2,560

Pasco: 7,989

Highlands: 1,811

DeSoto: 1,472

Hardee: 1,091

SOURCE: Florida Department of Health

The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients. As of Saturday, 3,824 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 38,314 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 4,562,134 residents have been tested in the state as of Saturday -- about 21.2% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.

SOURCE: Florida Department of Health

Today's new case number represents the 88th 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 two weeks. It was at 4.97% on Friday, 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 number of deaths has been on an upward trend -- though "significant delays" in data reporting, as the state says, make interpreting short-term trends from that statistic less reliable.

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. 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

CORONAVIRUS IN FLORIDA: What you need to know

AROUND THE WORLD: CoronavirusNOW.com

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