3,987 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Sunday; 29 new deaths

Mobile vaccination clinic offers COVID-19 shot to those who may not have access.

Jennifer Holton reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 3,987 Sunday. According to the state's daily update, the total number of cases in Florida is now 2,008,349.

The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 32,742, an increase of 29 since Saturday's update. In addition, a total of 627 non-Floridians have died in the state.

Locally, Hillsborough, Pasco, Sarasota and Sumter Counties each reported one new death.

Of the 2,008,349 cases, 1,971,271 are Florida residents while 37,078 are non-Florida residents in the state.

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 118,061
Pinellas: 70,251
Sarasota: 28,455
Manatee: 33,832
Sumter: 8,501
Polk: 59,767
Citrus: 10,156
Hernando: 12,052
Pasco: 35,336
Highlands: 7,510
DeSoto: 3,984
Hardee: 2,873

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 Sunday, the number of Floridians currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19 was 2,823, with the state reporting a total of 83,446 hospitalized for treatment at some point.

Vaccination efforts continue across the state. Saturday, 26,444 more patients received their first vaccine dose in Florida. Meanwhile, 16,738 more people received their second and final dose, meaning 2,563,384 have completed both rounds.

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. It began to increase again in the winter but has again started to drop.

The rate of positive new tests declined from its summertime peak, remaining below 10% for several months, but it reached that point again during the holiday season and into 2021 before dipping again. It was at 6.23% on Saturday, 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.

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

Doctor debunks mask myths

Dr. Joette Giovinco goes over some of the more prevalent myths about masks and COVID-19.

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

MOBILE APP USERS: Click here for map

Coronavirus in Florida Tampa News