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Florida adds 3,198 coronavirus cases, 103 deaths

The weekly death average rose slightly to about 115 people announced per day.
 
Florida added 3,198 coronavirus cases Friday.
Florida added 3,198 coronavirus cases Friday. [ Times ]
Published Sept. 4, 2020|Updated Sept. 4, 2020

Florida added 3,198 coronavirus cases Friday, bringing the number of statewide infections since March to 640,211 cases.

The state added 103 coronavirus deaths, and the weekly death average increased slightly to about 115 per day.

In Florida, 11,903 people have died from coronavirus, according to the state Department of Health.

Hospitalizations: Just more than 3,400 people across Florida are in the hospital with a primary diagnosis of coronavirus, according to the Agency for Healthcare Administration. About 520 are in the Tampa Bay area.

The number of people seeking treatment for coronavirus has declined since mid-July. Hospitalizations lag behind cases, which surged in late June. Deaths lag behind hospitalizations, and the weekly death average hit its highest point Aug. 5.

About 25 percent of hospital beds and 21 percent of ICU beds are available. In the Tampa Bay area, about 23 percent of hospital beds and about 14 percent of ICU beds are available. Tampa General Hospital, the largest in the area, had no ICU beds available as of Friday morning.

Positivity: Positivity can be used to gauge if an area is doing enough testing to capture mild and asymptomatic cases. If the rate is too large, it can indicate only the sick people have access to tests.

Florida’s average weekly positivity rate is about 12 percent, according to Johns Hopkins University. The Florida Department of Health, which calculates positivity by adding negative retests but not positive retests, has the average weekly rate at about 6 percent. The rate is about 5 percent when removing a one-time addition of nearly 75,000 backlogged tests.

The World Health Organization set a recommendation for a positivity rate of 5 percent or below for two weeks for a safer reopening.

Local numbers: Tampa Bay added 532 coronavirus cases and 10 deaths Friday.

Five deaths were reported in Hernando, three in Polk and one in both Citrus and Manatee.

Polk continues to have the highest average weekly positivity rate in the area at about 8 percent. Hillsborough follows at about 6 percent, while Hernando and Citrus have about 5 percent. Manatee, Pasco and Pinellas all average about 3 percent positivity for the week.

As of the latest counts, Hillsborough has 37,981 cases and 563 deaths; Pinellas has 20,259 cases and 672 deaths; Polk has 17,566 cases and 467 deaths; Manatee has 10,601 cases and 268 deaths; Pasco has 8,230 cases and 184 deaths; Hernando has 2,742 cases and 99 deaths; and Citrus has 2,211 cases and 62 deaths.

How fast is the number of Florida COVID-19 cases growing?

Is Florida’s coronavirus outbreak still growing?

Florida coronavirus cases by age group

Doctors say older people are at a greater risk to developing severe symptoms from COVID-19, which makes Florida especially vulnerable.

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