Florida adds 5,459 coronavirus cases, 118 deaths Saturday
Florida reported 5,459 coronavirus cases and 118 deaths Saturday, bringing the total number of cases statewide since March to more than 1.9 million.
The state has seen 31,280 COVID-19 deaths through the nearly year-long pandemic. Florida’s first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported on March, 1, 2020, in Hillsborough and Manatee counties. Monday is the first anniversary of that discovery.
On average, the Florida Department of Health has reported about 5,711 infections and 134 deaths per day this week. 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 97,000 tests on Friday, with a daily positivity rate of 5.6 percent.
Vaccinations: Florida has vaccinated 2,973,782 people, according to Saturday’s report, with 33,759 people receiving their first dose on Friday and 22,959 people receiving the second dose. So far, 1,642,800 people have received both doses needed for immunity, while 1,330,982 people have received just one dose.
In Hillsborough County, 143,806 people have been vaccinated; in Pinellas, 143,999; in Pasco, 65,942; in Manatee, 54,604; in Polk, 69,278; in Hernando, 24,217; and in Citrus, 25,260.
Hospitalizations: As of Saturday, Florida hospitals were treating 3,727 patients for COVID-19, including 765 people in the Tampa Bay region.
The health department reported 229 new admissions Saturday, including 45 admissions locally.
About 23 percent of hospital beds and 20 percent of adult intensive care unit beds were available statewide. In Tampa Bay, about 22 percent of hospital beds and 20 percent of adult ICU beds were open.
Positivity: Florida’s positivity rate was about 6.4 percent Saturday, 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 that testing is widespread enough to capture mild, asymptomatic and negative cases.
The District of Columbia and 28 states currently have a positivity rate below 5 percent.
Local numbers: Tampa Bay added 1,019 cases and 27 deaths Saturday.
Hillsborough County added 14 deaths, while Manatee County reported seven deaths. Pinellas and Polk counties reported two deaths each. Pasco and Hernando counties added one death each. There were no new deaths reported in Citrus County.
Hernando County’s positivity rate was about 8 percent. Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties had positivity rates of about 7 percent. Citrus and Manatee counties had positivity rates of about 6 percent. Pinellas County’s positivity rate was just over 5 percent.
As of the latest count, Hillsborough has 111,141 cases and 1,515 deaths, Pinellas has 66,412 cases and 1,453 deaths, Polk has 56,954 cases and 1,147 deaths, Manatee has 31,804 cases and 601 deaths, Pasco has 33,265 cases and 653 deaths, Hernando has 11,257 cases and 403 deaths, and Citrus has 9,739 cases and 400 deaths.
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