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Florida's cases of COVID-19 top 530,000 in Sunday's report; 77 new deaths

Published  August 9, 2020 11:47am EDT
Coronavirus in Florida
FOX 13 News

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TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 6,229 Sunday as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 532,806.

The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 8,186, an increase of 77 since Saturday's update. In addition, a total of 129 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Pinellas County is reporting three new deaths. Pasco, Manatee and Sarasota Counties are each reporting one new death.

Of the 532,806 cases, 527,036 are Florida residents while 5,770 are non-Florida residents currently in the state. 

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 32,587

Pinellas: 17,879

Sarasota:6,231

Manatee: 9,288

Sumter: 1,303

Polk: 14,301

Citrus: 1,539

Hernando: 2,022

Pasco: 7,080

Highlands: 1,435

DeSoto: 1,351

Hardee: 963

SOURCE; Florida Department of Health

The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients. As of Sunday, 6,867 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 30,505 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 3,991,826 people have been tested in the state as of Sunday -- about 18.5% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.

LINK: County-by-county Florida coronavirus cases and ZIP code map

SOURCE: Florida Department of Health

Today's new case number represents the 68th 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 8.46% on Saturday, 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.

PDF: DOH's full county-by-county COVID-19 case report

SOURCE: Florida Department of Health

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:

MOBILE APP USERS: Click here for map