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Experts say bars, not protests, are driving COVID-19 spike
Florida does extensive contact tracing to figure out where people who tested positive have been before they got sick. And the state’s health experts are finding a clear pattern -- it’s not leading back to the outdoor protests; it’s leading to indoor places where young adults go to hang out and party.
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 5,266 since yesterday morning as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 146,341.
The number of deaths has reached 3,447 an increase of 28 since Sunday's update. Locally, Hillsborough County reported three new deaths, while Citrus reported one.
Of the 146,341 cases, 143,805 are Florida residents while 2,536 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
Hillsborough: 10,323
Pinellas: 6,260
Sarasota: 1,447
Manatee: 2,810
Sumter: 334
Polk: 3,682
Citrus: 284
Hernando: 361
Pasco: 1,909
Highlands: 345
DeSoto: 600
Hardee: 426
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients or those currently hospitalized. As of Monday, 14,354 Floridians had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 1,914,151 people have been tested in the state as of Monday -- about 8.9% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.
LINK: County-by-county Florida coronavirus cases and ZIP code map
Florida resident cases in orange; Florida resident deaths in gray. Source: Fla. Dept. of Health.
Monday's total new cases represented the 27th straight day with new cases near or over 1,000 per day after the state set another new record on Saturday.
The rate of positive new tests has increased during that time period. It was at 13.67% on Sunday, the most recent date available.
Source: Fla. Dept. of Health
Experts say the current spike is partly due to more tests being given, but also a result of reopening the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis says the recent case increases are largely due to testing of "high-risk" individuals like farmworkers in the state's rural counties, prisoners, and residents of long-term care facilities, though he has also noted the "erosion" in social distancing, especially among the younger demographics in social setting. That prompted him to order all bars to cease serving alcohol Friday.
While the number of new cases has trended up over the last few weeks, the number of deaths has appeared to remain flat or even trend down, 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
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.
If you feel sick:
The Florida Department of Health has 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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