Florida adds 5,922 coronavirus cases, 144 deaths Friday

Florida reported 5,922 coronavirus cases and 144 deaths Friday, bringing the total number of deaths statewide since March to 31,162.

There have been 1,898,223 COVID-19 infections in Florida over the course of the pandemic.

On average, the Florida Department of Health has reported about 5,971 infections and 135 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.

Hospitalizations: As of Friday, Florida hospitals were treating 3,864 patients for COVID-19, including 797 people in the Tampa Bay region.

The health department reported 282 new admissions Friday, including 62 admissions locally.

About 21 percent of hospital beds and 18 percent of adult intensive care unit beds were available statewide. In Tampa Bay, about 19 percent of hospital beds and 15 percent of adult ICU beds were open.

Positivity: Florida’s positivity rate was about 6.4 percent Friday, 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 1,068 cases and 27 deaths Friday.

Manatee County added nine deaths while Polk County added six. Pinellas and Pasco counties added five deaths each. Citrus reported two deaths. There were no new deaths in Hillsborough and Hernando counties.

As of the latest count, Hillsborough has 110,837 cases and 1,501 deaths, Pinellas has 66,205 cases and 1,451 deaths, Polk has 56,759 cases and 1,145 deaths, Manatee has 31,685 cases and 594 deaths, Pasco has 33,139 cases and 652 deaths, Hernando has 11,212 cases and 402 deaths, and Citrus has 9,716 cases and 400 deaths.

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