4,637 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Tuesday; 56 new deaths

Hotline helps Polk County residents navigate COVID-19

Working together, the Polk County Public Schools and the Department of Health launched a new hotline for families and individuals who have questions.

TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 4,637 Tuesday. According to the state's daily update, the total number of cases in Florida is now 816,700.

The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 16,890, an increase of 56 since Monday's update. In addition, a total of 209 non-Floridians have died in the state.

Locally, Polk County reported eight new deaths, Pinellas reported three, while Citrus, Highlands, and Sarasota each reported one.

Of the 816,700 cases, 805,924 are Florida residents while 10,776 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 49,150
Pinellas: 26,477
Sarasota: 10,024
Manatee: 13,753
Sumter: 2,991
Polk: 23,525
Citrus: 3,344
Hernando: 3,846
Pasco: 11,242
Highlands: 2,758
DeSoto: 1,694
Hardee: 1,630

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 Tuesday, 2,485 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 49,715 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 6,510,718 residents have been tested in the state as of Tuesday -- about 30% 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. Department of Health

The number of new cases had generally been trending down in September, mirroring the number of tests being given. But it has begun to increase again. The 5,592 new cases reported Friday was the highest since August 15.

The rate of positive new tests has declined from its summertime peak, remaining below 10% for two months. It was at 7.58% on Monday, 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.

The state announced last week that it was taking a closer look at those delays and how deaths are tallied, even as Florida moved past New Jersey with the fourth-highest number of deaths in the country.

COVID UPDATES: Download the free FOX 13 News app for ongoing coronavirus coverage and live updates

Source: Fla. 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

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

Map of known COVID-19 cases:

MOBILE APP USERS: Click here for map