Florida reported 4,394 coronavirus cases and 82 deaths Wednesday, bringing the total number of deaths since the pandemic began to 36,184.
The state has seen 2,253,929 infections throughout the course of the more than year-long pandemic.
On average, the Florida Department of Health has reported about 4,483 infections and 66 deaths per day over the past seven days. It can take officials up to two weeks to confirm and report a coronavirus-related death, meaning the number of deaths added does not necessarily reflect the number of people who died the previous day.
The health department processed more than 85,000 tests on Tuesday, reporting a daily positivity rate of about 5.2 percent.
Vaccinations: Florida has distributed at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine to 9,037,042 people, according to Wednesday’s report. There were 13,846 people who received their first shot of a two-dose vaccine on Tuesday and 44,808 who completed a vaccine series.
Of the roughly 9 million people who have received a vaccine in Florida, about 6.5 million have completed a vaccine series.
In Hillsborough County, 557,541 people have been vaccinated; in Pinellas, 431,583; in Pasco, 205,339; in Manatee, 172,001; in Polk, 243,275; in Hernando, 68,528; and in Citrus, 60,586.
Hospitalizations: As of Wednesday, Florida hospitals were treating 3,009 patients for COVID-19, including 671 people in the Tampa Bay region.
The health department reported 258 new admissions Wednesday, including 93 admissions locally.
About 20 percent of hospital beds and 20 percent of adult intensive care unit beds were available statewide. In Tampa Bay, about 19 percent of hospital beds and 17 percent of adult ICU beds were open.
Positivity: Florida’s positivity rate was about 8 percent Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Before reopening, states should maintain a positivity rate of 5 percent or less for at least two weeks, according to the World Health Organization. A positivity rate of 5 percent or less indicates testing is widespread enough to capture mild, asymptomatic and negative cases.
The District of Columbia and 24 states currently have a positivity rate below 5 percent.
Local numbers: Tampa Bay added 1,014 cases and 30 deaths Wednesday.
Hillsborough County added 13 deaths, while Pasco added eight. Manatee and Polk counties added three deaths each. Hernando added two deaths and Pinellas added one death. Citrus County removed one death from its count, meaning the death wasn’t coronavirus related or the person who died wasn’t a resident.
Hillsborough County’s weekly average positivity rate was about 8 percent. Pasco, Hernando, Polk, Manatee and Citrus counties had positivity rates of roughly 7 percent. Pinellas County’s positivity rate was about 4 percent.
As of the latest count, Hillsborough has 136,897cases and 1,747 deaths, Pinellas has 79,355 cases and 1,642 deaths, Polk has 68,433 cases and 1,335 deaths, Manatee has 38,541 cases and 684 deaths, Pasco has 41,197 cases and 762 deaths, Hernando has 13,927 cases and 469 deaths, and Citrus has 11,079 cases and 448 deaths.
Is Florida’s coronavirus outbreak still growing?
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