3,116 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Tuesday; 145 new deaths
Durant, Newsome players under quarantine
Two more Hillsborough County high school football teams won't be playing under the Friday night lights this week because of COVID-19. Several players from Newsome and Durant high schools are now in quarantine following their game against each other Friday.
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 3,116 Tuesday. According to the state's daily update, the total number of cases in Florida is now 668,846.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 12,787, an increase of 145 since Monday's update. In addition, a total of 159 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Pinellas County reported nine new deaths, Hillsborough and Sarasota each reported six new deaths, Polk reported four, Citrus and Hernando each reported two, while Highlands and Sumter each reported one.
Of the 668,846 cases, 660,946 are Florida residents while 7,900 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
- Hillsborough: 39,751
- Pinellas: 21,081
- Sarasota: 7,671
- Manatee: 10,972
- Sumter: 2,121
- Polk: 18612
- Citrus: 2,493
- Hernando: 2,901
- Pasco: 8,600
- Highlands: 2,018
- DeSoto: 1,539
- Hardee: 1,242
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 Tuesday, 2,563 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 41,654 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 4,955,265 residents have been tested in the state as of Tuesday -- about 23.1% 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 105th straight day with new cases near or over 1,000 per day. The rate of positive new tests increased during that time period, but has begun to trend down, remaining below 10% for four weeks. It was at 4.22% on Sunday, the most recent date available.
The number of new cases has generally trended down over the last few weeks, mirroring the number of tests being given.
After peaking in July, the number of deaths also began a downward trend in August -- 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
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
Doctor debunks mask myths
Dr. Joette Giovinco goes over some of the more prevalent myths about masks and COVID-19.
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