Coronavirus cases in Florida reach 47,471 in Wednesday update, with 2,096 deaths reported
Calls for investigation into dashboard architect’s firing
Several media outlets report Rebekah Jones, a geospatial scientist, was asked to remove data showing that patients first reported symptoms earlier than the state announced and that when she refused, she was given the choice to resign or be fired.
TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 527 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 47,471.
The number of deaths has reached 2,096, an increase of 47 since Tuesday's update. Locally. Hillsborough reported four new deaths, Manatee and Sarasota each noted two, while Pinellas and Sumter each reported one more.
Of the 47,471 cases, 46,197 are Florida residents while 1,274 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
Hillsborough: 1,703
Pinellas: 1,075
Sarasota: 538
Manatee: 893
Sumter: 253
Polk: 786
Citrus: 115
Hernando: 107 (decrease of 2)
Pasco: 328
Highlands: 107
DeSoto: 80
Hardee: 47
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients or those currently hospitalized. As of Wednesday, 8,681 people had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 772,669 people have been tested in the state as of Wednesday -- about 3.4% 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.
As Florida continues 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: