Florida coronavirus cases top 45,000 Sunday; 9 new deaths reported

 The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 777 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 45,588

The number of deaths has reached 1,973, an increase of 9 since Saturday's update. 

Of the 45,588 cases, 44,369 are Florida residents while 1,219 are non-Florida residents currently in the state. 

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 1,614

Pinellas: 1,019

Sarasota: 508

Manatee: 849

Sumter: 251

Polk: 736

Citrus: 112

Hernando: 109

Pasco: 316

Highlands: 109

DeSoto: 66

Hardee: 40

The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered' coronavirus patients or those currently hospitalized. As of Sunday, 8,230 people had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 653,081 people have been tested in the state as of Sunday -- about 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. 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.

SOURCE: Florida Department of Health

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:

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