Over 11,000 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Friday; 93 new deaths
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 11,433 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 244,151.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 4,102, an increase of 93 since Thursday's update. Another 101 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Hillsborough County reported four new deaths, Pinellas and Polk each reported two, while Hardee and Highlands each reported one.
Of the 244,151 cases, 240,710 are Florida residents while 3,441 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
- Hillsborough: 17,662
- Pinellas: 10,293
- Sarasota: 2,548
- Manatee: 4,432
- Sumter: 589
- Polk: 6,611
- Citrus: 500
- Hernando: 766
- Pasco: 3,559
- Highlands: 488
- DeSoto: 809
- Hardee: 595
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 or those currently hospitalized. As of Friday, 17,602 Floridians had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 2,423,992 people have been tested in the state as of Friday -- about 11.3% 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
Friday's total new case number represents the 38th straight day with new cases near or over 1,000 per day and nearly ties July 4th's record number of new cases, which was 11,458. The 120 new deaths reported Thursday was a reocrd high for the pandemic, and while Friday's 93 deaths was lower, it was still the second-highest number since April.
The rate of positive new tests has increased during that time period. It was at 15.3% on Thursday, the most recent date available.
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.
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.
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
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