Florida's cases of COVID-19 climbed more than 15,000 in Sunday's report; setting new single-day record
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 15,300 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 269,811.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 4,242, an increase of 45 since Saturday's update. Another 104 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Polk County is reporting two new deaths and Hillsborough and Hernando Counties are each reporting one new death.
Of the 269,811 cases, 266,119 are Florida residents while 3,692 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
Hillsborough: 19,150
Pinellas: 10,844
Sarasota: 3,106
Manatee: 5,112
Sumter: 655
Polk: 7,246
Citrus: 546
Hernando: 861
Pasco: 3,875
Highlands: 532
DeSoto: 831
Hardee: 602
Source: Florida Department of Health
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients or those currently hospitalized. As of Sunday, 18,271 Floridians had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 2,576,813 people have been tested in the state as of Saturday -- about 11.9% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.
LINK: County-by-county Florida coronavirus cases and ZIP code map
The rate of positive new tests has increased during that time period. It was at 11.25% on Saturday, the most recent date available.
Source: Florida Department of Health
Sunday's total new case number represents the largest single-day increase of COVID-19 cases to date. It is also the 40th straight day with new cases near or over 1,000 per day.
Source: Florida Department 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 more recently 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.
While the number of new cases has trended up over the last few weeks, the number of deaths has begun to reflect the same upward trend though "significant delays" in data reporting, as the state says, make interpreting short-term trends from that statistic less reliable.
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.