Coronavirus cases in Florida increase by 502 in Tuesday update; total deaths top 2,000

The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 502 since yesterday morning as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 46,944.

The number of deaths has reached 2,049, an increase of 52 since Monday's update. Locally, Hillsborough and Sarasota each reported five new deaths, Pasco and Pinellas each noted three, Polk reported two more, and Manatee reported one.

Of the 46,944 cases, 45,684 are Florida residents while 1,260 are non-Florida residents currently in the state. 

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 1,670

Pinellas: 1,062

Sarasota: 533

Manatee: 888

Sumter: 253

Polk: 766

Citrus: 114

Hernando: 109 (decrease of 1)

Pasco: 327

Highlands: 107

DeSoto: 69

Hardee: 44

The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients or those currently hospitalized. As of Tuesday, 8,494 people had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 717,162  people have been tested in the state as of Tuesday -- about 3.3% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.

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

After two peaks in early and mid-April, the state’s curve has generally flattened over the last few weeks. In the last 30 days, the state has averaged just under 700 new cases per day. That’s down to a level that the health care system can handle, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

New cases are in orange; new deaths are in gray. Source: Fla. DOH

As Florida starts taking steps to ease restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health experts say new cases and more deaths are expected.

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. The number of non-Florida residents who have died from the coronavirus while in the state is not reported.

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: