Florida’s coronavirus positivity rate was nearly 10% on Saturday, as cases continue to surge throughout the state.
The rate for people who tested positive for the first time in Florida rose to 9.95%, the highest it’s been since mid-August.
Just a month ago, it had been holding steady at around 5%.
Florida and other states use the rate of people who have tested positive for the virus for the first time as one of several indicators of how prevalent the virus is in the state.
The rate is based on nearly 50,000 tests that were recorded on Friday.
The state reported another 4,544 cases of the coronavirus on Saturday and 45 deaths. That brings the statewide total to 875,096 cases and 17,704 deaths since the pandemic began.
In the greater Tampa Bay region, the state on Saturday reported 545 new cases and 12 new deaths.
The deaths were recorded by the state since Friday’s report, but they may have occurred days or weeks earlier.
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have also been increasing in Florida with 3,151 people hospitalized on Saturday compared to 2,672 a week ago.
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 Saturday, Nov. 14:
- Hillsborough: 52,481/857
- Pinellas: 28,865/853
- Manatee: 14,553/346
- Polk: 25,020/648
- Sarasota: 11,013/357
- Pasco: 12,403 /259
- Hernando: 4,215 /186
Florida COVID-19 daily total of positive tests/deaths for the past two weeks:
- Nov. 14: 4,544/45
- Nov. 13: 6,933/74
- Nov. 12: 5,607/73
- Nov. 11: 5,838/52
- Nov. 10: 4,353/69
- Nov. 9: 3,924/58
- Nov. 8: 6,820/22
- Nov. 7: 4,452/87
- Nov. 6: 5,245/54
- Nov. 5: 6,257/39
- Nov. 4: 4,423/32
- Nov. 3: 4,637/56
- Nov. 2: 4,651/46
- Nov. 1: 4,865/29
