The number of hospitalizations attributed to the coronavirus pandemic continued to decline across Florida, although the state reported its second largest jump in positive cases in the last eight days.
According to Saturday's report from the Florida Department of Health, 3,656 more people tested positive since Friday's report, bringing the statewide total to 643,867.
It is the highest jump in positive cases since the state reported 7,569 new cases on Tuesday, a spike due to an influx of previously uncounted positive tests from Quest Diagnostics.
Saturday's report showed 635 new cases across the greater Tampa Bay region, including 281 new cases in Hillsborough County.
Of 70,024 tests returned to the state Friday, 5.99% of those tested for the first time were positive.
The state also reported a drop in the number of daily deaths. The 61 deaths across the state in Saturday's report represents the lowest number since 68 people died on Aug. 31.
There were eight new deaths in the greater Tampa Bay region, including four in Polk County.
The number of people hospitalized due to coronavirus as of Saturday was 3,234, a decline of 129 in the last 24 hours and 565 since last Saturday.
The deaths were recorded by the state since Friday's report, but they may have occurred days or weeks earlier.
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 tests as of Saturday, September 5:
- Hillsborough: 38,262
- Pinellas: 20,355
- Polk: 17,693
- Manatee: 10,633
- Pasco: 8,267
- Sarasota: 7,378
- Hernando: 2,764
Florida COVID-19 daily total of positive tests/deaths for the last two weeks:
- September 5: 3,656 / 61
- September 4: 3,198 / 103
- September 3: 3,571 / 149
- September 2: 2,402 / 130
- September 1: 7,569* / 190
- August 31: 1,885 / 68
- August 30: 2,583 / 14
- August 29: 3,197 / 150
- August 28: 3,815 / 88
- August 27: 3,269 / 139
- August 26: 3,220 / 155
- August 25: 2,673 / 183
- August 24: 2,258 / 72
- August 23: 2,974 / 51
*About 75,000 tests were from Quest since 4/22, 3,870 were positive
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