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Florida reports another 4,752 COVID-19 cases, positivity rate again below 10 percent

It's the first time since June 22 that reported new cases fell below 5,000.

Monday's report from the Florida Department of Health showed the state added another 4,752 coronavirus cases for August 2.

That daily report brings the total number of COVID-19 cases statewide to 491,884 since March. 

The median age of Floridians testing positive for the virus is 42 as of Monday morning.

The health department also reported another 73 Floridians had died after testing positive for COVID-19, bringing the total to 7,157 Floridians and 122 non-residents who have died since the pandemic began.

That does not necessarily mean all those people died on August 1, but rather the state learned of their deaths and added the numbers to the report that day. The state's daily line-by-line report, which you can read here, lists coronavirus deaths by the date the people tested positive for the virus, not the date they passed. 

In contrast, our chart below shows deaths by the date on which they were added to Florida's report.

The report released on Friday of 257 newly confirmed deaths was the highest reported by the state in a single day's report. 

Florida reported 3,588 new deaths (Floridians and non-residents) just in July. That is more than 50 percent of the total number of deaths reported by the state.

When it comes to testing, Monday's reported showed 60,994 test results were returned from labs on August 2. Of those tests, 9.09 percent were positive for COVID-19.

It's important to note, testing sites on Florida's east coast were closed Thursday evening through Sunday ahead of impacts from Tropical Storm Isaias. The testing sites reopened at 8 a.m. Monday.

Sunday's report for August 1 showed a positivity rate of 9.28 percent -- the first time the percent positive was below 10 percent since June 24.

As for hospitalizations, 7,992 people were hospitalized with coronavirus as their primary diagnosis as of 10:30 a.m. Monday. And, 1,473 of them are in the Tampa Bay area.

A total of 27,366 people in Florida have been hospitalized at some point during the pandemic.

FULL BREAKDOWN: Florida coronavirus cases, deaths, hospitalizations, recoveries

Credit: 10 Tampa Bay

Here's a breakdown of the new coronavirus cases reported to the state:

  • June 21: 2,926 
  • June 22: 3,286
  • June 23: 5,508
  • June 24: 5,004
  • June 25: 8,942
  • June 26: 9,585
  • June 27: 8,530
  • June 28: 5,266
  • June 29: 6,093
  • June 30: 6,563
  • July 1: 10,109
  • July 2: 9,488
  • July 3: 11,458 
  • July 4: 10,059
  • July 5: 6,336
  • July 6: 7,347
  • July 7: 9,989
  • July 8: 8,935
  • July 9: 11,433
  • July 10: 10,360
  • July 11: 15,300
  • July 12: 12,624
  • July 13: 9,194
  • July 14: 10,181
  • July 15: 13,965
  • July 16: 11,466
  • July 17: 10,328
  • July 18: 12,478
  • July 19: 10,347
  • July 20: 9,440
  • July 21: 9,785
  • July 22: 10,249
  • July 23: 12,444
  • July 24: 12,199
  • July 25: 9,344
  • July 26: 8,892
  • July 27: 9,230
  • July 28: 9,446
  • July 29: 9,956
  • July 30: 8,989
  • July 31: 9,643
  • August 1: 7,104
  • August 2: 4,752

Breaking down the numbers

There wasn't a single day during the entire month of July where the number of newly-confirmed cases was fewer than 6,000. In fact, the last time that happened was on June 28. 

The highest single-day case number Florida has reported so far is 15,300 for July 11.

The World Health Organization and infectious disease experts around the globe have recommended a positivity rate of 5 percent or lower for a 14-day span in order to be comfortable reopening

Florida has not seen a positivity rate at 5 percent since the beginning of June. For more than a month, the state has reported positivity rates at double and even triple that recommended percentage.

Florida remains in Phase Two of reopening, which began June 5.

Credit: 10 Tampa Bay

Hospitalizations and ICU bed availability

Cases are climbing, but what about hospitalizations?

Tracking hospitalizations got easier on July 10 when the Agency for Health Care Administration began publishing a spreadsheet with the number of people currently checked-in for coronavirus-related complications in Florida. The data only includes people whose "primary diagnosis" was COVID-19.

As of 10:30 a.m. Monday, 7,992 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as their primary diagnosis statewide, and 1,473 of them were in the Tampa Bay area. Those numbers are frequently updated, and you can click here for the most recent data, which is also broken down by county.

Since the pandemic began, the state confirms a total of 27,366 residents were hospitalized at some point during their illness.

The Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA) also updates total hospital bed and ICU availability by county.

Click here for a breakdown of adult and pediatric ICU bed availability by county. You can also check ICU availability by the hospital.  

RELATED: How to track ICU bed availability in Tampa Bay

Hospitalizations around Tampa Bay and total staffed hospital bed capacity status: 

**Data as of 10:15 a.m. on August 3

Citrus:

  • 19 COVID-19 hospitalizations
  • 81 of 292 total staffed hospital beds are available

DeSoto:

  • 5 COVID-19 hospitalizations
  • 25 of 55 total staffed hospital beds are available

Hardee:

  • 0 COVID-19 hospitalizations
  • 3 of 25 total staffed hospital beds are available

Hernando:

  • 61 COVID-19 hospitalizations
  • 229 of 729 total staffed hospital beds are available

Highlands:

  • 61 COVID-19 hospitalizations
  • 52 of 263 total staffed hospital beds are available

Hillsborough:

  • 444 COVID-19 hospitalizations
  • 681 of 3,866  total staffed hospital beds are available

Manatee:

  • 101 COVID-19 hospitalizations
  • 92 of 770 total staffed hospital beds are available

Pasco:

  • 91 COVID-19 hospitalizations
  • 319 of 1,388 total staffed hospital beds are available

Pinellas: 

  • 312 COVID-19 hospitalizations
  • 559 of 2,887 total staffed hospital beds are available

Polk: 

  • 272 COVID-19 hospitalizations
  • 410 of 1,653 total staffed hospital beds are available

Sarasota: 

  • 104 COVID-19 hospitalizations
  • 180 of 1,126 total staffed hospital beds are available

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