More than 7,000 new cases of COVID-19 reported Sunday; 62 new deaths
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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 7,104 since Saturday morning as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 487,132.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 7,084 an increase of 62 since Saturday's update. In addition, a total of 122 non-Floridians have died in the state. Locally, Polk and Pinellas Counties are reporting two new deaths each and Citrus, Pasco and Manatee Counties are each reporting one new death.
Of the 487,132 cases, 481,668 are Florida residents while 5,464 are non-Florida residents currently in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
Hillsborough: 30,118
Pinellas: 16,774
Sarasota: 5,724
Manatee: 8,733
Sumter: 1,131
Polk: 12,991
Citrus: 1,291
Hernando: 1,707
Pasco: 6,479
Highlands: 1,252
DeSoto: 1,292
Hardee: 857
Source: Florida Department of Health
The state is not reporting a total number of "recovered" coronavirus patients. As of Sunday, 7,968 Floridians were currently hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; in total, 27,150 have been hospitalized for treatment at some point.
A total of 3,726,526 people have been tested in the state as of Sunday -- about 17.3% 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 61st 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 9.28% on Saturday, 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.
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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MAP: Florida coronavirus cases by county
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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Map of known COVID-19 cases:
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