2,582 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Wednesday; 137 new deaths
Limited number of rapid test kits going to schools, nursing homes
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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 2,582 Wednesday. According to the state's daily update, the total number of cases in Florida is now 722,707.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 14,904, an increase of 137 since Tuesday's update. In addition, a total of 180 non-Floridians have died in the state.
Locally, Polk County reported 10 deaths, Hillsborough and Pinellas each reported six; Hernando, Highlands, and Sarasota each reported three, while Citrus reported one.
Of the 722,707 cases, 713,902 are Florida residents while 8,805 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
- Hillsborough: 43,304
- Pinellas: 22,697
- Sarasota: 8,457
- Manatee: 11,878
- Sumter: 2,495
- Polk: 20,687
- Citrus: 2,883
- Hernando: 3,277
- Pasco: 9,569
- Highlands: 2,370
- DeSoto: 1,610
- Hardee: 1,423
Florida new resident cases in orange; new resident deaths in gray. Note: Deaths usually appear to be trending down because of the delay in confirming the last few days of data. Source: Fla. Dept. of Health.
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients. As of Wednesday, 2,124 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 45,004 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 5,466,927 residents have been tested in the state as of Wednesday -- about 25.5% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.
LINK: County-by-county Florida coronavirus cases and ZIP code map
Last Monday's 738 new cases represented the first time in 118 days that the increase was less than 1,000 and the only day since. The number of new cases has generally trended down over the last few weeks, mirroring the number of tests being given. Gov. Ron DeSantis says that's good enough to move to Phase 3 of the reopening plan.
The rate of positive new tests has declined from its summertime peak, remaining below 10% for over 40 days. It was at 4.15% on Tuesday, the most recent date available.
After peaking in July, the number of deaths also began a downward trend in August that continued through September -- 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 Dept. of Health
PDF: DOH's full county-by-county COVID-19 case report
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
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Map of known COVID-19 cases:
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