Central Florida COVID-19 cases increase by 34% in one day

Central Florida saw its caseload for confirmed COVID-19 patients increase by 34% in one day, according to new data released Friday.

While the increase came as testing for the new coronavirus continued to ramp up, the number of positive tests in Central Florida increased faster than the number of tests being conducted. That means the tests were finding an increased prominence of the disease among everyone being tested.

Overall, 342 people in the six-county region now have tested positive for COVID-19, according to data released in the first Friday report, by the Florida Department of Health. That is an increase of 86 patients in Central Florida since the department’s first report data were released last Thursday.

The greatest increase in confirmed infections came in Orange County, which jumped 49 cases, to 156 patients. That’s up 42% in one day. During the same 24-hour period, testing increased only 21% in Orange County. A total of 1,618 people now have been tested by either public health officials or private practitioners in Orange County.

Signifiant increases in positive tests also were logged in Seminole and Volusia counties.

Seminole now has 49 COVID-19 patients, up from 37 the day before, a 32% increase in one day. A total of 665 people have been tested in Seminole County.

In Volusia County, 39 people now have tested positive, up from 29 the day before, a 34% increase in one day. Officials have now tested 423 people in Volusia County.

Osceola County continues to have the region’s second-most COVID-19 patients, with 53 positive tests reported Friday. That is up from 42 on Thursday, a 26% increase in one day. As of Friday, 459 people had been tested for the virus in Osceola.

Lake County has recorded 29 cases as of Friday, an increase from 25 reported on Thursday, a 16% increase. That modest increase came even though testing continued to accelerate in Lake. There now have been 607 tests there, up from 425 that had been conducted through Thursday morning.

In Brevard County, just 16 COVID-19 patients have been identified, up from 13 Thursday, a 23% increase. Only 339 people have been tested in Brevard County.

Both Orange and Osceola counties are under stay-at-home executive orders.