The state of Florida continues to report a downward trend in the number people hospitalized due to coronavirus-related illnesses while showing a sharp decline in the number of positive cases since its Saturday report.
The Florida Department of Health on Sunday reported 2,564 more people tested positive since Saturday's report, bringing the statewide total to 646,431.
That's a decline of 1,092 cases from the previous 24 hours, when 3,656 people tested positive. It's the lowest number of daily cases since Wednesday, when the state reported 2,402 positive tests.
Of the 56,786 individual tests conducted in the last 24 hours, 5.06% of new cases tested positive.
There were 468 new positive cases across the greater Tampa Bay region, including 164 in Hillsborough County and 106 in Polk.
The state also reported 3,163 people are hospitalized with coronavirus-related illnesses, a drop of 71 people since Saturday and 629 fewer since the previous Sunday.
The state says 38 more Florida residents died of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 11,849. This includes three deaths in Hillsborough and one in Pinellas.
It's the fewest number of daily deaths since Aug. 30, when the state reported 14 people died.
The deaths were recorded by the state since Saturday'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 Sunday, September 6:
- Hillsborough: 38,426
- Pinellas: 20,425
- Polk: 17,799
- Manatee: 10,633
- Pasco: 8,316
- Sarasota: 7,410
- Hernando: 2,788
Florida COVID-19 daily total of positive tests/deaths for the last two weeks:
- September 6: 2,564 / 38
- 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
*About 75,000 tests were from Quest since 4/22, 3,870 were positive
