Florida's COVID-19 cases top 460,000 in Thursday's report; 253 new deaths set another single-day record
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TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 9,956 since Wednesday morning as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 461,379.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 6,586, an increase of 253 since Wednesday's update, which the third day in a row that Florida sets a new record for COVID-19 deaths reported. In addition, a total of 123 non-Floridians have died in the state.
Locally, Pasco County is reporting 26 new deaths; Pinellas County is reporting 18 new deaths; Polk Count is reporting 11 new deaths; Hillsborough County is reporting 8 new deaths; Citrus, Hernando, Manatee and Sarasota counties are each reporting three new deaths; and Highlands County is reporting one new death.
Of the 461,379 cases, 456,105 are Florida residents while 5,274 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
Hillsborough: 28,742
Pinellas: 16,114
Sarasota: 5,443
Manatee: 8,337
Sumter: 1,058
Polk: 12,281
Citrus: 1,192
Hernando: 1,617
Pasco: 6.201
Highlands: 1,132
DeSoto: 1,251
Hardee: 819
(Source: Florida Department of Health)
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients. As of Thursday, 8,472 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 26,017 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 3,584,193 people have been tested in the state as of Thursday -- about 16.6% of the state's population -- according to the Florida Department of Health.
LINK: County-by-county Florida coronavirus cases and ZIP code map
(Source: Florida Department of Health)
Today's new case number represents the 58th straight day with new cases near or over 1,000 per day. The rate of positive new tests has increased during that time period. It was at 12% on Wednesday, the most recent date available.
As the number of new cases has trended up over the last few weeks, the number of deaths has also reflected the same upward trend -- though "significant delays" in data reporting, as the state says, make interpreting short-term trends from that statistic less reliable.
The 253 new deaths reported Thursday was the largest number of daily new deaths since the pandemic began. The previous high was 216 deaths added Wednesday, followed by 186 deaths added Tuesday.
PDF: DOH's full county-by-county COVID-19 case report
(Source: Florida Department of Health)
Experts say the current spike is partly due to more tests being given, but also a result of reopening the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis says the recent case increases are largely due to testing of "high-risk" individuals like farmworkers in the state's rural counties, prisoners, and residents of long-term care facilities, though he has more recently noted the "erosion" in social distancing, especially among the younger demographics in social setting. That prompted him to order all bars to cease serving alcohol.
Experts explain how Florida counts COVID-19 deaths
Health experts say the daily number of deaths reported by the state does not reflect the actual amount of deaths on Thursday. Instead, it's a representation of the number of deaths over about a one-week time span.
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.
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