Florida coronavirus cases top 100,000 as spike continues; 2,926 new cases reported Monday
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 2,926 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 100,217.
The number of deaths has reached 3,173, an increase of 12 since Sunday's update. Locally, Pinellas County reported two new deaths while Hillsborough reported one.
Of the 100,217 cases, 98,047 are Florida residents while 2,170 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
Hillsborough: 5,973
Pinellas: 3,854
Sarasota: 992
Manatee: 1,977
Sumter: 286
Polk: 2,225
Citrus: 199
Hernando: 200
Pasco: 872
Highlands: 238
DeSoto: 468
Hardee: 305
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients or those currently hospitalized. As of Monday, 13,119 people had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 1,618,540 people have been tested in the state as of Friday -- about 7.5% 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 20th straight day with new cases near or over 1,000 per day. Experts say the current spike is partly due to more tests being given, but also a result of reopening the state.
The rate of positive tests has increased during that time period.
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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.
Prior to this spike, the state had averaged just over 700 new cases per day in the last 30 days. That was a level that the health care system could handle, according to Gov. DeSantis. And while the number of new cases has trended up over the last few weeks, the number of deaths has appeared to 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
As Florida continues taking steps to ease restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health experts say new cases and more deaths are expected.
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. The number of non-Florida residents who have died from the coronavirus while in the state is not reported.
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
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