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Florida added 3,190 coronavirus cases Saturday, making it 661,571 positive infections statewide since March.
The state also announced 98 deaths from the coronavirus. Since the first death about six months ago, 12,756 people have died from the virus in Florida. The weekly death average moved up to about 113 people announced dead per day. That average peaked in early August with 185 people dead per day.
Cases that led to hospitalization increased by 193 admissions.
Hospitalizations: About 2,800 people are in the hospital with a primary diagnosis of the coronavirus, according to the Agency for Healthcare Administration. About 470 are in the Tampa Bay area.
The peak of hospitalizations came in mid-July, with just under 10,000 people seeking treatment.
About 25 percent of hospital beds and 21 percent of ICU beds are open, and in Tampa Bay, about 22 percent of hospital beds and 16 percent of ICU beds are open. Some of the largest area hospitals, like Tampa General Hospital and Morton Plant Hospital, have no or few ICU beds available.
Positivity: Florida’s average weekly positivity is about 13 percent, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The Florida Department of Health calculates positivity by counting negative retests but not positive ones, putting more emphasis on the negative results. Based on its calculations, the average weekly positivity is about 5 percent.
When positivity is too high, it can indicate there isn’t enough testing in an area to capture mild cases. The World Health Organization set a recommendation for 5 percent positivity for two weeks for safer reopening.
Local numbers: Tampa Bay added 499 coronavirus cases and 11 deaths Saturday.
Five of the deaths were reported in Polk County, three in Pinellas County, two in Citrus County and one in Hillsborough County.
Polk leads the area with the highest average weekly positivity at about 7 percent, followed by Hillsborough at 6 percent, Citrus at 5 percent, Hernando at 4 percent and Manatee, Pasco and Pinellas at 3 percent.
As of the latest counts, Hillsborough has 39,298 cases and 590 deaths; Pinellas has 20,872 cases and 704 deaths; Polk has 18,337 cases and 491 deaths; Manatee has 10,868 cases and 277 deaths; Pasco has 8,507 cases and 196 deaths; Hernando has 2,856 cases and 106 deaths; and Citrus has 2,443 cases and 72 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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Tampa Bay Times coronavirus coverage
HOW CORONAVIRUS IS SPREADING IN FLORIDA: Find the latest numbers for your county, city or zip code.
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