Florida adds 5,645 coronavirus cases, 67 deaths Tuesday
Florida reported 5,645 coronavirus cases and 67 deaths Tuesday, bringing the total number of deaths since the pandemic began to 35,209.
The state has seen 2,178,783 infections throughout the course of the more than year-long pandemic.
On average, the Florida Department of Health has reported about 6,267 infections and 61 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 82,000 tests on Monday, reporting a daily positivity rate of about 6.9 percent.
Vaccinations: Florida has distributed at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine to 8,143,599 people, according to Tuesday’s report. There were 30,582 people who received their first shot of a two-dose vaccine on Monday and 49,868 who completed a vaccine series.
Of the 8.1 million people who have received a vaccine in Florida, about 5.2 million have completed a vaccine series.
In Hillsborough County, 499,464 people have been vaccinated; in Pinellas, 395,844; in Pasco, 188,203; in Manatee, 160,010; in Polk, 214,357; in Hernando, 63,735; and in Citrus, 57,138.
Hospitalizations: As of Tuesday, Florida hospitals were treating 3,478 patients for COVID-19, including 802 people in the Tampa Bay region.
The health department reported 252 new admissions Tuesday, including 54 admissions locally.
About 22 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 18 percent of adult ICU beds were open.
Positivity: Florida’s positivity rate was about 10.5 percent Tuesday, 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 25 states currently have a positivity rate below 5 percent.
Local numbers: Tampa Bay added 1,261 cases and 20 deaths Tuesday.
Polk County added nine deaths while Pasco added six. Citrus County reported two deaths. Pinellas, Manatee and Hernando counties recorded one death each. Hillsborough removed two deaths from its count, meaning the deaths weren’t coronavirus related or the people who died weren’t residents.
Hillsborough, Hernando and Polk counties had weekly average positivity rates of about 10 percent as of Tuesday. Pasco had a positivity rate of about 9 percent. Citrus had a positivity rate of 8 percent while Manatee had a positivity rate of about 7 percent. Pinellas County’s positivity rate was about 6 percent.
As of the latest count, Hillsborough has 130,797 cases and 1,679 deaths, Pinellas has 76,960 cases and 1,600 deaths, Polk has 65,317 cases and 1,304 deaths, Manatee has 37,088 cases and 665 deaths, Pasco has 39,315 cases and 733 deaths, Hernando has 13,284 cases and 455 deaths, and Citrus has 10,747 cases and 440 deaths.
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