Florida coronavirus cases top 42,400 in Wednesday update; 1,827 total deaths reported

TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 479 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 42,402.

The number of deaths has reached 1,827, an increase of 48 since Tuesday's update. Locally, Hillsborough reported three new deaths, while Manatee, Pinellas, and Polk each reported one.

Of the 42,402 cases, 41,236 are Florida residents while 1,166 are non-Florida residents currently in the state. 

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 1,494

Pinellas: 923

Sarasota: 440

Manatee: 806

Sumter: 245

Polk: 687

Citrus: 109

Hernando: 101

Pasco: 306

Highlands: 100

DeSoto: 52

Hardee: 37

The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered' coronavirus patients or those currently hospitalized. As of Wednesday, 7,595 people had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 595,478 people have been tested in the state as of Wednesday -- about 2.8% 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.

The number of non-Florida residents diagnosed with COVID-19 dropped from 2,035 to 1,166 in the state's latest update, with no explanation. That number had spiked at a much-higher rate than normal in the previous two daily updates.

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: