TAMPA, Fla. — New data released by the Florida Department of Health shows the state recorded another 10,249 new cases of COVID-19 on July 22.
That brings the total number of cases reported statewide to 389,868 since the pandemic began. According to the daily report released Thursday morning, 41 is the median age of Floridians testing positive for coronavirus.
The state on Thursday also reported another 173 Floridians had died after testing positive for the virus, bringing the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in the latest report to 5,518 Florida residents and 114 non-residents since the pandemic began.
The 173 deaths added to Florida's count in the latest report is the most added in a single day. That does not necessarily mean all those people died on July 22 but rather the state learned of their deaths and added 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.
When it comes to testing, Thursday's report showed 93,644 test results were returned from labs on July 22. Of those tests, 12.31 percent were positive for coronavirus.
As for hospitalizations, 9,615 people in Florida were hospitalized with COVID-19 as their primary diagnosis as of 10 a.m. Thursday. In the Tampa Bay area, 1,938 were in the hospital.
A total of 22,644 people in Florida have been hospitalized at some point during the coronavirus pandemic.
Here's a breakdown of the new coronavirus cases reported to the state by day:
- 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
Breaking down the numbers
There has yet to be a day in 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.
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 a.m. Thursday, 9,615 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as their primary diagnosis statewide, and 1,938 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 22,644 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.
Hospitalizations around Tampa Bay and total staffed hospital bed capacity status:
**Data as of 10 a.m. on July 23
Citrus:
- 30 COVID-19 hospitalizations
- 67 of 296 total staffed hospital beds are available
DeSoto:
- 3 COVID-19 hospitalizations
- 27 of 55 total staffed hospital beds are available
Hardee:
- 0 COVID-19 hospitalizations
- 1 of 24 total staffed hospital beds are available
Hernando:
- 89 COVID-19 hospitalizations
- 165 of 742 total staffed hospital beds are available
Highlands:
- 55 COVID-19 hospitalizations
- 28 of 262 total staffed hospital beds are available
Hillsborough:
- 613 COVID-19 hospitalizations
- 523 of 3,886 total staffed hospital beds are available
Manatee:
- 135 COVID-19 hospitalizations
- 137 of 793 total staffed hospital beds are available
Pasco:
- 128 COVID-19 hospitalizations
- 261 of 1,375 total staffed hospital beds are available
Pinellas:
- 433 COVID-19 hospitalizations
- 612 of 2,966 total staffed hospital beds are available
Polk:
- 297 COVID-19 hospitalizations
- 287 of 1,661 total staffed hospital beds are available
Sarasota:
- 155 COVID-19 hospitalizations
- 215 of 1,282 total staffed hospital beds are available