Florida tops 500 coronavirus deaths after one-day increase of 72

Masks, distancing could be yearlong effort

Florida's surgeon general is painting a vivid picture of life after COVID-19. He says we need to continue social distancing until we have a vaccine, but that could take more than a year.

TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 609 since Monday evening's update as the virus spreads and as more people get tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 21,628.

The number of deaths has reached 571, an increase of 47 since the morning and 72 in the last 24 hours. Locally, Manatee reported four new deaths, Hillsborough and Sarasota each reported two deaths, while Pinellas and Polk counties each reported one new death. One Hillsborough victim was a 35-year-old woman, one of the youngest deaths in the state so far. No other details about her case were available.

Of the 21,628 cases, 20,984 are Florida residents while 644 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.

Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:

Hillsborough: 819

Pinellas: 494

Sarasota: 241

Manatee: 261

Sumter: 113

Polk: 279

Citrus: 75

Hernando: 71

Pasco: 177

Highlands: 62

DeSoto: 22

Hardee: 3

The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered' coronavirus patients or those currently hospitalized. As of Tuesday, 3,050 had been hospitalized for treatment at some point.

A total of 205,413 people have been tested in the state as of Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The 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.

LINK: County-by-county Florida coronavirus cases and ZIP code map

The rate of new cases in Florida is slowing. Experts credit social distancing measures for flattening the curve, but they warn that it's too early for Floridians to let their guard down.

Meanshile, a new study out of USF suggests that many more kids are infected with COVID-19 than is generally known.

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

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