More Than A Third Of Deaths Reported Tuesday Occurred In Tampa Bay Region

The Florida Department of Health reported on Tuesday that 225 people in the state died due to complications from COVID-19. Almost 90 of those deaths occurred in the greater Tampa Bay region, where every county reported an increase in the number of daily deaths.

This includes 25 deaths in Sarasota County and 20 in Polk.

The overall death toll in the state now stands at 29,659 people.

While the deaths were recorded Tuesday, they may have occurred in the days or weeks prior.

While statewide hospitalizations have gone down slightly, every Tampa Bay County except Hillsborough and Hernando increased or stayed the same.

To see how local hospitals are managing capacity related to the virus, see this NPR tool.

The latest report shows 6,297 people tested positive for the coronavirus since Monday's report — almost double from the previous day.

The total number of cases now stands at 1,837,285.

The state reported 120,992 tests were administered Monday, and the rate for those testing positive for the first time was 6.61%.

More than 2.4 million people have received a coronavirus vaccine in Florida, with 1.13 million people getting both doses.

State Totals (as of Tuesday, Feb. 16):

• Positive Tests – 1,837,285

• Deaths – 29,659

Daily Changes:

• State: Positive Tests – 6,297 | Deaths – 225

• Greater Tampa Bay Region: Positive Tests – 1,236| Deaths - 87

Daily Testing (statewide):

• Tests Received – 120,992 | Positivity Rate – 6.61%

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.

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

• Feb. 16: 6,297/225
• Feb. 15: 3,615/159
• Feb. 14: 5,436/96
• Feb. 13: 7,515/118
• Feb. 12: 7,617/190
• Feb. 11: 8,525/180
• Feb. 10: 7,537/165
• Feb. 9: 7,023/239
• Feb. 8: 5,737/126
• Feb. 7: 6,624/103
• Feb. 6: 7,486/145
• Feb. 5: 11,543/215
• Feb. 4: 7,711/226
• Feb. 3: 6,979/203

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