Over 7,300 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Tuesday; 63 new deaths
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 7,347 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 213,794.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 3,841, an increase of 63 since Monday's update. Another 102 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Pinellas County reported seven new deaths, Hillsborough reported five, Manatee noted three, and Polk reported one.
Of the 213,794 cases, 210,594 are Florida residents while 3,200 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
Hillsborough: 15,362
Pinellas: 9,032
Sarasota: 2,249
Manatee: 3,890
Sumter: 478
Polk: 5,665
Citrus: 419
Hernando: 592
Pasco: 3,004
Highlands: 435
DeSoto: 760
Hardee: 517
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients or those currently hospitalized. As of Tuesday, 16,425 Floridians had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 2,271,267 people have been tested in the state as of Tuesday -- about 10.6% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.
LINK: County-by-county Florida coronavirus cases and ZIP code map
Florida resident cases in orange; Florida resident deaths in gray. Source: Fla. Dept. of Health.
Tuesday's total new case number represents the 35th straight day with new cases near or over 1,000 per day. The state set yet another new daily record over the weekend.
The rate of positive new tests has increased during that time period. It was at 16.27% on Monday, 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 appeared to remain flat, though "significant delays" in data reporting, as the state says, make interpreting short-term trends from that statistic less reliable.
Source: Fla. Dept. of Health
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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