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738 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Monday; five new deaths

By FOX 13 News Staff
Updated  September 28, 2020 12:07pm EDT
Coronavirus in Florida
FOX 13 News

COVID infection rates staying steady in Florida

Justin Matthews reports

TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 738 Monday. According to the state's daily update, the total number of cases in Florida is now 701,302.

The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 14,037, an increase of five since Sunday's update. In addition, a total of 170 non-Floridians have died in the state. No new local deaths were reported Monday.

Of the 701,302 cases, 692,962 are Florida residents while 8,340 are non-Florida residents currently in the state. 

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

  • Hillsborough: 41,952
  • Pinellas: 22,049
  • Sarasota: 8,147
  • Manatee: 11,486
  • Sumter: 2,228
  • Polk: 19,888
  • Citrus: 2,742
  • Hernando: 3,127
  • Pasco: 9,233
  • Highlands: 2,160
  • DeSoto: 1,565
  • Hardee: 1,361

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 Monday, 2,095 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 43,606 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 5,268,827 residents have been tested in the state as of Monday -- about 24.5% 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 Dept. of Health

Today's new case number represents the first time in 118 days that the increase was less than 1,000. 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 4.23% on Sunday, 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.

Monday was the first day since the spring in which no local deaths were reported.

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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

AROUND THE WORLD: CoronavirusNOW.com

Map of known COVID-19 cases:

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