The number of coronavirus cases continues to trend upward as the state reported 23,343 more infections for the week ending Friday.
That compares to last week's total of 19,516 and 17,117 the week before that.
However, state figures show hospitalizations from COVID-19, which usually increase a few weeks after cases spike, have been holding steady and deaths have gone down slightly.
The state reported 514 deaths for the week ending Friday, compared to 658 last week and 642, the previous week.
Hospitalizations for complications due to COVID-19 have been hovering around 2,000 since mid September.
On Friday, the Florida Department of Health reported 3,689 people tested positive for the coronavirus since Thursday, bringing the statewide total infections to 771,780.
There were 667 new positive tests in the greater Tampa Bay region.
The state received 100,179 tests Thursday and 4% of them were positive.
Friday’s data from the Florida Department of Health also included the deaths of 74 people due to complications from COVID-19 since Thursday’s report, bringing the statewide death toll to 16,544.
On Thursday, 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 15 deaths, including nine in Polk County.
The deaths were recorded by the state since Thursday’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: 46,518 / 757
- Pinellas: 24,789 /815
- Polk: 22,332 /602
- Manatee: 12,842 /324
- Pasco: 10,485 /227
- Sarasota: 9,280 /329
- Hernando: 3,560 /164
Florida COVID-19 daily total of positive tests/deaths for the last two weeks:
- Oct. 23: 3,689/74
- 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 *
* - On Oct. 10, a data dump of previously reported lab results prevented the reporting system from normal processing of lab results.
