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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 4,115 Wednesday as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 584,047.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 9,932, an increase of 174 since Tuesday's update. In addition, a total of 135 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Hillsborough County reported 18 new deaths, Pinellas reported 12, Hernando reported six, Highlands reported five, Pasco reported three, Citrus and Polk each reported two, while Sarasota and Sumter each reported one.
Of the 584,047 cases, 577,891 are Florida residents while 6,156 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
- Hillsborough: 34,851
- Pinellas: 18,994
- Sarasota: 6,814
- Manatee: 9,924
- Sumter: 1,611
- Polk: 15,723
- Citrus: 1,834
- Hernando: 2,317
- Pasco: 7,560
- Highlands: 1,660
- DeSoto: 1,426
- Hardee: 1,023
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, 5,366 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 35,200 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 4,294,217 residents have been tested in the state as of Wednesday -- about 20% 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 78th 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. It was at 7.08% on Tuesday, 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. But 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: Fla. Dept. of Health.
PDF: DOH's full county-by-county COVID-19 case report
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Experts explain how Florida counts COVID-19 deaths
Health experts say the daily number of deaths reported by the state does not reflect the actual amount of deaths on Thursday. Instead, it's a representation of the number of deaths over about a one-week time span.
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
Map of known COVID-19 cases:
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