5,446 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Tuesday as deaths increase by 245

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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 5,446 Tuesday as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 497,330.

The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 7,402, an increase of 245 since Monday's update. In addition, a total of 124 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Hillsborough County reported 21 new deaths, Pinellas reported 18, Polk reported 15, Sarasota reported seven, Citrus and Hernando each reported four, Sumter reported three, Pasco reported two, while Highlands and Desoto each reported one.

Of the 497,330 cases, 491,773 are Florida residents while 5,557 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 30,798
Pinellas: 17,047
Sarasota: 5,854
Manatee: 8,887
Sumter: 1,163
Polk: 13,231
Citrus: 1,322
Hernando: 1,802
Pasco: 6,636
Highlands: 1,296
DeSoto: 1,308
Hardee: 857

Florida new resident cases in orange; new resident deaths in gray. Source: Fla. Dept. of Health.

The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients. As of Tuesday, 7,734 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 27,952 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 3,790,202 people have been tested in the state as of Tuesday -- about 17.6% 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 63rd straight day with new cases near or over 1,000 per day. The rate of positive new tests has increased during that time period, but has begun to trend down slightly. It was at 9.09% on Monday, the most recent date available.

As the number of new cases has trended up over the last few weeks, the number of deaths has also reflected the same upward trend -- though "significant delays" in data reporting, as the state says, make interpreting short-term trends from that statistic less reliable.

Tuesday's new case number was again among the lowest reported by the state since June, but it comes after testing sites in South Florida and the East Coast were closed for several days because of Hurricane Isaias.

PDF: DOH's full county-by-county COVID-19 case report

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.

Experts explain how Florida counts COVID-19 deaths

Health experts say the daily number of deaths reported by the state does not reflect the actual amount of deaths on Thursday. Instead, it's a representation of the number of deaths over about a one-week time span.

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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