Coronavirus cases in Florida near 42,000 in Tuesday's update; 44 new deaths reported

The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 941 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 41,923.

The number of deaths has reached 1,779, an increase of 44 since Monday's update. Locally, Hillsborough reported three new deaths, Polk reported two more, while Pinellas, Sumter, and DeSoto each reported one more.

Of the 41,923 cases, 39,888 are Florida residents while 2,035 are non-Florida residents currently in the state. 

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 1,473

Pinellas: 909

Sarasota: 435

Manatee: 795

Sumter: 244

Polk: 655

Citrus: 107

Hernando: 101

Pasco: 302

Highlands: 99

DeSoto: 52

Hardee: 36

The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered' coronavirus patients or those currently hospitalized. As of Tuesday, 7,418 people had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 580,316 people have been tested in the state as of Tuesday -- about 2.6% 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. Since April 18, 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.

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.

A larger-than-normal amount of new cases over the last two days have been classified as non-Florida residents currently in Florida. After increasing by only an average of 20 to 30 per day, that number has jumped by 953 since Sunday.

Source: Fla. DOH

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: