On the day after a spike in coronavirus levels due to an influx of previously uncounted positive tests from Quest Diagnostics, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 returned to the downward trend set in previous days.
The state has since severed its ties with Quest.
According to Wednesday’s report from the Florida Department of Health, another 2,402 people tested positive for the coronavirus since Tuesday’s report, bringing the statewide total to 633,442.
Because of the Quest data, yesterday’s number of new positive tests was over 7,500, some dating as far back as April. Prior to the data dump, the last time the number of new positives was over 4,000 was August 22.
Wednesday’s report shows 536 new positive tests in the greater Tampa Bay region.
Of the 50,707 tests returned to the state Tuesday, 5.63% of those tested for the first time were positive.
Wednesday’s report also added the deaths of 130 people due to complications from COVID-19 since Tuesday. That brings the statewide death toll to 11,651.
Twenty-six of the deaths occurred in the greater Tampa Bay area.
The deaths were recorded by the state since Tuesday'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 Wednesday, September 2:
- Hillsborough: 37,668
- Pinellas: 20,080
- Polk: 17,292
- Manatee: 10,532
- Pasco: 8,165
- Sarasota: 7,281
- Hernando: 2,710
Florida COVID-19 daily total of positive tests/deaths for the last two weeks:
- 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
- August 22: 4,311 / 107
- August 21: 4,684 / 118
- August 20: 4,555 /117
* - On Sept. 1, Quest Diagnostics turned in about 75,000 tests that dated back to 4/22, 3,870 were positive.
