3,190 new coronavirus cases reported Saturday; 98 new deaths
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 3,190 Saturday. According to the state's daily update, the total number of cases in Florida is now 661,571.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 12,600, an increase of 98 since Friday's update. In addition, a total of 156 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Highlands County is reporting seven additional deaths, Polk County is reporting five, Pinellas County is reporting three, Sarasota and Citrus Counties are each reporting two and Hillsborough County is reporting one additional death.
Of the 661,571 cases, 654,090 are Florida residents while 7,481 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
Hillsborough: 39,298
Pinellas: 20,872
Sarasota: 7,585
Manatee: 10,868
Sumter: 2,101
Polk: 18,337
Citrus: 2,443
Hernando: 2,856
Pasco: 8,507
Highlands: 1,986
DeSoto: 1,533
Hardee: 1,211
SOURCE: Florida Department of Health
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients. As of Saturday, 2,683 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 41,215 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 4,908,723 residents have been tested in the state as of Saturday -- about 22.8% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.
SOURCE: Florida Department of Health
Today's new case number represents the 102nd 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 over three weeks. It was at 4.44% on Friday, 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: Florida Department 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
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