Once again Florida breaks its previous one day record of single-day coronavirus cases, adding 3,822 on Friday.
In addition, 197 Floridians were hospitalized in the 24-hour period, bringing the hospitalization count to 12,774. A total of at least 43 deaths were added as well, which raises Floria’s death toll to at least 3,197.
With today’s numbers, Florida now has at least 89,748 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Thursday’s report saw Hillsborough County add 300 confirmed cases, while Pinellas County added 230.
Friday’s case increase is the largest one-day addition the state has seen, according to the Florida Department of Health, and continues the 17-day streak in which new coronavirus infection reports are over 1,000.
Despite the soaring infection rates that Florida is experiencing, Gov. Ron DeSantis has not shifted his vow to not shut down the state. While DeSantis attributes the increase in coronavirus cases to target testing in high-risk areas and rising testing availability, experts also state that number of positive cases per 100,000 tests have also jumped.
Despite DeSantis’ firm stance, local officials have mobilized efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus in the state over the past week. On Wednesday, Mayor Rick Kriseman made the announcement that all employees of all St. Petersburg businesses will be required to wear face masks. The next day, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor ordered a mandatory face mask policy for the City of Tampa beginning Friday at 5 p.m.
Scientists at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania released a projection model to indicate what may happen to states like Florida if restrictions are not increased. Florida has "all the markings of the next large epicenter of coronavirus transmission,” it read.
Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you up to the minute news on how Coronavirus is affecting Tampa and surrounding areas. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.
Follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter to get the most up-to-date news + views. Subscribe to our newsletter, too.
