Florida Coronavirus Cases Top 6,000 Mark; 77 Deaths

Lakeland FL

31 March, 2020

1:37 PM

Description

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Florida reached another milestone Tuesday as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state topped the 6,000 mark. The number of cases in Florida rose to 6,741 as of Tuesday night while the number of deaths climbed to 85. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties in South Florida account for more than half of the total number of cases. Florida's total included 857 hospitalizations as of Tuesday night and a positive test rate for the virus of 10.4 percent based on 64,661 tests throughout the state. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Tuesday that Florida continues to expand testing, including a new large drive-thru site that opened Tuesday at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach. "The key marker that people put out is one test for every 200 people," DeSantis said. "In the state of Florida if we get over 100,000 tests done, that will be about one test for every 200 people in the state of Florida." Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who was among the first elected officials in the nation to contract the new coronavirus, also announced Tuesday he had beaten the illness. The mayor told Patch he learned the respiratory illness can attack people like himself who experienced only minimal symptoms. "I was very fortunate," Suarez said. "The worst symptoms that I experienced were some body pain in the beginning that I basically took Tylenol for. I had congestion for a couple of days. My body temperature never got to 100. I was very fortunate. I got a very, very mild case." He said his experience gave him more confidence to make hard decisions in the interest of protecting the public from the illness. "It has actually given me courage and the impetus to continue to act aggressively to protect our residents," the mayor said. With 2,123 cases, Miami-Dade County has the most confirmed cases of any of Florida's 67 counties. Nearby Broward County, which has a much smaller population than Miami-Dade, has 1,219 cases. Don't miss updates about precautions in Florida as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters. Palm Beach County, which is just north of Broward County, has 551 cases. Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, has 305 cases. Orange County, which includes Orlando, has 373 cases. Related: 6 Elderly Residents Die From Coronavirus At Long-Term Care HomeCoronavirus Fears May Be Keeping Us Awake At NightFlorida Coronavirus Self-Quarantine Order Extended To New OrleansPresident Trump Declares Major Disaster In FL From CoronavirusFlorida Coronavirus: Special Grocery Shopping Hours For Seniors In an attempt to provide as much information to our readers as possible, Patch is publishing a county-by-county breakdown of the coronavirus cases in Florida's 67 counties, along with the average age of patients, the number of hospital cases by county and the number of deaths: CountyTotal Cases (Including Non Residents)Average Age (last updated 3.29) Number of Hospital CasesDeaths By County1. Alachua County8741132. Baker County95523. Bay County84714. Bradford County25825. Brevard County375276. Broward County1,21948126127. Calhoun County1N/A18. Charlotte County235829. Citrus County19564210. Clay County415217511. Collier County1465514112. Columbia County344013. Miami-Dade2,12348142714. Desoto County7502115. Dixie County016. Duval County2075228417. Escambia County9443218. Flagler County1854219. Franklin County020. Gadsden County148021. Gilchrist County022. Glades County3563123. Gulf County024. Hamilton County025. Hardee County026. Hendry County450227. Hernando County2451628. Highlands County17524129. Hillsborough County3054456330. Holmes County1N/A031. Indian River County3356432. Jackson County 247033. Jefferson County034. Lafayette County035. Lake County66531336. Lee County2065343837. Leon County2644438. Levy County251139. Liberty County040. Madison County041. Manatee County535517242. Marion County2552243. Martin County2856444. Monroe County2751545. Nassau County1056146. Okaloosa County39446147. Okeechobee County048. Orange County3734662449. Osceola County1104634150. Palm Beach County55150641451. Pasco County40506252. Pinellas County1675247553. Polk County735128154. Putnam County1350155. Santa Rosa County44447256. Sarasota County766132357. Seminole County103472558. St. Johns County795018259. St. Lucie County384911260. Sumter County51661561. Suwannee County354062. Taylor County063. Union County164. Volusia County805020165. Wakulla County148066. Walton County18647567. Washington County152168. Unknown counties2Loading…