Coronavirus cases in Florida increase by 826 Thursday; total deaths reach 1,600
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 826 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 38,828.
The number of deaths has reached 1,600, an increase of 61 since Wednesday's update. Locally, Pinellas reported six new deaths, Manatee reported four, Hillsborough noted three, Sarasota two, while Pasco and DeSoto added one each.
Of the 38,828 cases, 37,813 are Florida residents while 982 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
Hillsborough: 1,364
Pinellas: 820
Sarasota: 412
Manatee: 737
Sumter: 238
Polk: 594
Citrus: 102
Hernando: 97
Pasco: 289
Highlands: 90
DeSoto: 42
Hardee: 35
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered' coronavirus patients or those currently hospitalized. As of Thursday, 6,765 people had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 495,075 people have been tested in the state as of Thursday -- about 2.3% 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 two weeks. Since April 18, the state has averaged just over 600 new cases per day. That’s down to a level that the health care system can handle, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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. 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:
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