4,544 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Saturday; 44 new deaths

The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 4,544 Saturday. According to the state's daily update, the total number of cases in Florida is now 875,096.

The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 17,489, an increase of 44 since Friday's update. In addition, a total of 215 non-Floridians have died in the state. 

Locally, Manatee County reported six additional deaths, Hernando County reported four, Citrus and Pinellas Counties reported three, while Polk and Highlands Counties each reported one new death. 

Of the 875,096 cases, 862,990 are Florida residents while 12,106 are non-Florida residents currently in the state. 

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 52,481

Pinellas: 28,865

Sarasota: 11,013

Manatee: 14,553

Sumter: 3,148

Polk: 25,020

Citrus: 3,856

Hernando: 4,215

Pasco: 12,403

Highlands: 3,164

DeSoto: 1,772

Hardee: 1,685

SOURCE: Florida Department of Health

The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients. As of Saturday, 3,151 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 51,813 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 7,329,033 residents have been tested in the state as of Saturday -- about a third of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.

LINK: County-by-county Florida coronavirus cases and ZIP code map

SOURCE: Florida Department of Health

The number of new cases had generally been trending down in September, mirroring the number of tests being given. But it has begun to increase again. The 6,933 new cases reported Friday was the highest since August 12.

The rate of positive new tests has declined from its summertime peak, remaining below 10% for two months, but it has begun to increase again. It was at 9.95% on Friday, 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.

The state announced last month that it was taking a closer look at those delays and how deaths are tallied, even as Florida moved past New Jersey with the fourth-highest number of deaths in the country.

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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, and data can take days or weeks to validate. 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

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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