Florida Adds Another 5,557 Positive Coronavirus Tests Thursday

WUSF | By Lisa Peakes

Published October 22, 2020 at 10:13 PM EDT

State health officials reported another 1,069 people tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday. The last time more than 1,000 people tested positive in the region was August 8.

According to Thursday’s report from the Florida Department of Health, 5,557 people tested positive for the coronavirus since Wednesday, bringing the statewide total infections to 768,091.

Except for a data anomaly on Oct. 10, the last time the statewide daily increase in infections was over 5,000 was Sept. 1.

There were 1,069 new positive tests in the greater Tampa Bay region. Again, with the exception of the numbers reported by the state on Oct. 10, the last time the daily case increase for the region was more than 1,000 was Aug. 8.

The state received 106,033 tests Wednesday and 5.62% of them were positive. Over the last two weeks, the state has reported an average of 63,057 tests a day.

Thursday’s data from the Florida Department of Health also included the deaths of 57 people due to complications from COVID-19 since Wednesday’s report, bringing the statewide death toll to 16,413.

Florida passed New Jersey as having the fourth most deaths of any state since the beginning of the pandemic, trailing only New York, Texas and California.

In the greater Tampa Bay region, there were 12 deaths, including seven in Pinellas County.

The deaths were recorded by the state since Wednesday’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 case and death totals as of Thursday, October 22:

Hillsborough: 46,300 / 755
Pinellas: 24,650 /812
Polk: 22,256 /593
Manatee: 12,761 /324
Pasco: 10,406 /227
Sarasota: 9,235 /327
Hernando: 3,531 /165

Florida COVID-19 daily total of positive tests/deaths for the last two weeks:

Oct. 22: 5,557/57
Oct. 21: 2,145/105
Oct. 20: 3,662/86
Oct. 19: 1,707/54
Oct. 18: 2,539/50
Oct. 17: 4,044/88
Oct. 16: 3,449/98
Oct. 15: 3,356/144
Oct. 14: 2,883/66
Oct. 13: 2,725/123
Oct. 12: 1,533/47
Oct. 11: 5,570/180
Oct. 10: No report issued from DOH *
Oct. 9: 2,908/118

* - On Oct. 10, a data dump of previously reported lab results prevented the reporting system from normal processing of lab results.