Despite a downward trend in COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks, Florida set a new single-day high in deaths on Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health reported.
Between Monday morning and Tuesday morning, 83 people died from COVID-19, the largest single-day increase in the state since the coronavirus outbreak began. The previous high, recorded on April 14, was 72.
So far, 1,171 people have died from COVID-19 in Florida and 32,846 people have tested positive. That includes 708 more positive cases since Monday.
Twenty-one of the 83 new deaths were in the Tampa Bay area, according to the health department. Information was only provided for seven of the people who died:
- An 81-year-old Hillsborough County man with no travel history and known contact with another case;
- A 94-year-old Pinellas County woman with no known travel history or contact with another case;
- A 98-year-old Pinellas County woman with no known travel history and a known contact with another case;
- A 78-year-old Pinellas County woman with no known travel history and a known contact with another case;
- A 77-year-old Manatee County woman with no known travel history and unknown contact with possible positive cases of COVID-19;
- A 57-year-old Manatee County woman with no known travel history and no known contact with another case;
- An 89-year-old Sarasota County man with no known travel history and unknown contact with another case;
The spike in deaths comes after the health department this week changed the way it reports new cases to the public, going from twice a day to once a day. Whether that has something to do with the increase was not clear.
Tampa Bay area positive tests as of 11 a.m. Monday, April 27:
- Hillsborough: 1,080 (1,032 local, 48 non-resident)
- Pinellas: 709 (668 local, 41 non-resident)
- Manatee: 563 (561 local, 2 non-resident)
- Polk: 457 (451 local, 6 non-resident)
- Sarasota: 334 (317 local, 17 non-Sarasota resident)
- Pasco: 239 (232 local, 7 non-Pasco resident)
- Hernando: 89 (83 local, 6 non-Hernando resident)
Florida COVID-19 daily total of positive tests/deaths for last two weeks
- April 28: 708/83
- April 27: 610/14
- April 26: 689 / 19
- April 25: 306 / 43
- April 24: 885 / 60
- April 23: 1072 / 60
- April 22: 707 / 60
- April 21: 811 / 44
- April 20: 744 / 49
- April 19: 822 / 26
- April 18: 739 / 22
- April 17: 1413 / 58
- April 16: 821 / 54
- April 15: 891 / 43
WUSF 89.7 depends on donors for the funding it takes to provide you the most trusted source of news and information here in town, across our state, and around the world. Support WUSF now by giving monthly, or make a one-time donation online at WUSF.org/give
Copyright 2020 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7
