In a week U.S. coronavirus deaths surpassed a quarter of a million, Florida's death toll due to the virus topped 18,000 on Thursday.
State health officials recorded the deaths of 81 people due to complications from COVID-19 since Wednesday, bringing the statewide death toll to 18,030.
The deaths were recorded by the state since Wednesday’s report, but they may have occurred days or weeks earlier.
It’s the 11th straight day the positivity rate for first-time tests in Florida has been over 7%.
According to Thursday’s report from the Florida Department of Health, 9,085 people tested positive statewide since Wednesday. Florida's cases now total 914,333 since the pandemic began.
As of Thursday morning, 3,379 people were being treated at hospitals in Florida because of the virus, a slight uptick of 34 from Wednesday.
In the greater Tampa Bay region, there were 1,639 positive tests. It’s the highest daily regional number of positives since July 27, when 1,712 people tested positive. Eighteen people died due to the virus in the region.
Hernando County reported its highest single-day number of people testing positive, 74, Thursday; the previous high of 70 was recorded on July 27. An additional 15 people were admitted to the hospital in Pasco County with COVID-19 as the primary diagnosis since Wednesday.
The state got back the results for 131,718 tests Wednesday, almost 27,000 more than a day earlier. Of those tested for the first time, 7.58% were positive.
ABOUT THE DATA: The Florida Department of Health produces a daily update around 11 a.m. with information about COVID-19 cases and deaths that were reported over the previous 24 hours. Cases and deaths in the report may have happened days or weeks earlier, according to state officials. The state separately tracks cases and deaths that occurred on specific days on its dashboard and those totals are frequently updated.
Greater Tampa Bay region positive case and death totals as of Thursday, November 19:
- Hillsborough: 54,326 / 883
- Pinellas: 30,006 / 866
- Polk: 25,897 / 656
- Manatee: 15,343 / 363
- Pasco: 13,156 / 262
- Sarasota: 11,905 / 371
- Hernando: 4,440 / 189
Florida COVID-19 daily total of positive tests/deaths for the past two weeks:
- Nov. 19: 9,085/81
- Nov. 18: 7,925/88
- Nov. 17: 7,459/86
- Nov. 16: 4,663/41
- Nov. 15: 10,105/30
- Nov. 14: 4,544/45
- Nov. 13: 6,933/74
- Nov. 12: 5,607/73
- Nov. 11: 5,838/52
- Nov. 10: 4,353/69
- Nov. 9: 3,924/58
- Nov. 8: 6,820/22
- Nov. 7: 4,452/87
- Nov. 6: 5,245/54
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