Over 11,000 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Friday; 128 new deaths
Missing negative COVID-19 results not enough for major change
Experts and the governor agree there is a problem with some labs only reporting positive results, however, they also agree the small additional number of negative results that are missing likely would not change the overall picture of COVID-19 in Florida.
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 11,466 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 327,241.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 4,805, an increase of 128 since Thursday's update. Another 107 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Pinellas County reported five new deaths, Polk reported three, and Hillsborough reported one.
Of the 327,241 cases, 323,002 are Florida residents while 4,239 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
- Hillsborough: 22,502
- Pinellas: 12,714
- Sarasota: 3,880
- Manatee: 6,133
- Sumter: 770
- Polk: 8,772
- Citrus: 737
- Hernando: 1,077
- Pasco: 4,654
- Highlands: 687
- DeSoto: 1,015
- Hardee: 677
Florida resident cases in orange; Florida resident deaths in gray. Source: Fla. Dept. of Health.
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients. As of Friday, 8,965 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 20,191 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 2,884,245 people have been tested in the state as of Friday -- about 13.4% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.
LINK: County-by-county Florida coronavirus cases and ZIP code map
Source: Fla. Dept. of Health
Today's new case number represents the 45th straight day with new cases near or over 1,000 per day. The rate of positive new tests has increased during that time period. It was at 11.85% on Thursday, 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 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.
Friday's newly reported deaths was the among the largest single-day increases of the pandemic and comes one day after the record daily increase of 156.
PDF: DOH's full county-by-county report
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 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.
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:
MOBILE APP USERS: Click here for map