Florida adds 2,541 coronavirus cases and 179 deaths Thursday

Florida recorded 2,541 coronavirus cases Thursday, bringing the total number of infections found statewide to 693,040.

Deaths from the virus increased by 179 people. Since March, 13,961 people in Florida have died from the coronavirus. The weekly death average increased to 102 people announced dead per day.

Cases that led to hospitalization increased by 188 admissions.

Hospitalizations: About 2,200 people across Florida were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of coronavirus, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration. About 450 were in the Tampa Bay area.

Statewide, about 24 percent of hospital beds and 23 percent of intensive care unit beds were available. In Tampa Bay, about 20 percent of hospital beds and 15 percent of ICU beds were open.

Positivity: Florida’s weekly average positivity rate was 11 percent, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The World Health Organization set a recommendation of 5 percent positivity before loosening social distancing restrictions.

The Florida Department of Health calculates positivity differently, by counting negative retests but not positive retests. Based on their calculation, the average weekly positivity is about 5 percent.

Local numbers: Tampa Bay added 451 coronavirus cases and 27 deaths on Thursday.

Six deaths were recorded in both Hillsborough and Polk counties, five were in Citrus, four were in Manatee, three were in Pinellas, two were in Hernando and one was in Pasco County.

Citrus has the highest average weekly positivity at about 7 percent, followed by Polk at 6 percent, Hernando, Hillsborough and Pasco at 5 percent, Manatee at 4 percent and Pinellas at 3 percent.

As of the latest counts, Hillsborough has 41,351 cases and 625 deaths; Pinellas has 21,765 cases and 743 deaths; Polk has 19,551 cases and 523 deaths; Manatee has 11,352 cases and 288 deaths; Pasco has 9,040 cases and 207 deaths; Hernando has 3,084 cases and 118 deaths; and Citrus has 2,702 cases and 97 deaths.

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