Florida passes 13,000 coronavirus deaths, added 2,355 cases Wednesday

Florida surpassed 13,000 total coronavirus deaths by adding another 154 on Wednesday, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The weekly death average in the state was 119 people announced dead per day, data shows.

The state also added 2,355 coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infections to 671,201 since the pandemic began.

Cases that resulted in a hospitalization increased by 200 admissions Wednesday.

Hospitalizations: About 2,600 people in Florida were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of coronavirus, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration. About 450 of those patients were hospitalized in the Tampa Bay area.

In large counties like Hillsborough and Pinellas, recovery has stalled as the number of people in the hospital remains mostly stagnant. The peak came in mid-July, when area hospitals saw a surge in patients and statewide nearly 10,000 people were being treated for the virus.

About 24 percent of hospital beds and 22 percent of intensive care unit beds were available statewide Wednesday. In Tampa Bay, about 21 percent of hospital beds and 14 percent of ICU beds were available.

Positivity: Positivity can be used to determine whether an area has enough testing to capture mild cases of the virus.

The World Health Organization recommends a positivity rate of 5 percent or below for two weeks before loosening social distancing restrictions. Florida’s weekly average positivity rate is 12 percent, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The Florida Department of Health calculates positivity by using negative retests but not including positive retests. Their metrics offer a weekly average of about 5 percent.

Local numbers: Tampa Bay added 362 coronavirus cases and 19 deaths Wednesday.

Five deaths were announced in Hillsborough County, four were in Pinellas, three were in Polk, two were in Pasco counties. One death was recorded each in Citrus and Hernando counties.

Polk and Citrus lead the area for the highest weekly average positivity rate at about 6 percent, followed by Hillsborough and Hernando at 5 percent, Pasco at 4 percent and Manatee and Pinellas at 3 percent.

As of the latest count, Hillsborough has 39,888 cases and 601 deaths; Pinellas has 21,152 cases and 718 deaths; Polk has 18,674 cases and 500 deaths; Manatee has 10,985 cases and 279 deaths; Pasco has 8,640 cases and 198 deaths; Hernando has 2,925 cases and 109 deaths; and Citrus has 2,508 cases and 76 deaths.

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