Florida's cases of COVID-19 top 525,000 in Saturday's report; 182 new deaths
Cases down, deaths rise in Pinellas County
COVID-19 is still hitting the most vulnerable communities hardest in Pinellas County.
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 8,502 Saturday as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 526,577.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 8,109, an increase of 182 since Friday's update. In addition, a total of 129 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Pinellas County reported 16 new deaths, Polk and Sarasota Counties each reported eight new deaths, Pasco County reported five, Hernando County reported four and Highlands County reported one new death.
Of the 526,577 cases, 520,846 are Florida residents while 5,731 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
Hillsborough: 32,268
Pinellas: 17,725
Sarasota:6,164
Manatee: 9,199
Sumter: 1,284
Polk: 14,124
Citrus: 1,514
Hernando: 1,975
Pasco: 6,982
Highlands: 1,396
DeSoto: 1,339
Hardee: 950
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SOURCE: Florida Department of Health
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients. As of Saturday, 6,836 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 30,251 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 3,952,028 people have been tested in the state as of Saturday -- about 18.4% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.
LINK: County-by-county Florida coronavirus cases and ZIP code map
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SOURCE: Florida Department of Health
Today's new case number represents the 67th straight day with new cases near or over 1,000 per day. The rate of positive new tests has increased during that time period, but has begun to trend down slightly. It was at 9.91% on Friday, the most recent date available.
As the number of new cases has trended up over the last few weeks, the number of deaths has also reflected the same upward trend -- though "significant delays" in data reporting, as the state says, make interpreting short-term trends from that statistic less reliable.
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SOURCE: Florida Department of Health
PDF: DOH's full county-by-county COVID-19 case report
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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