Florida coronavirus cases increase by 900+ in 24 hours

State health officials have confirmed just below 5,000 coronavirus cases since reporting the first cases at the start of the month.

According to the Department of Health’s Sunday evening release, there are now 4,950 COVID-19 cases involving the state, up from 4,038 Saturday evening. The state’s total includes 4,768 residents, at least 60 of whom have died, and 633 have been hospitalized.

Sunday’s additions alone make up nearly a fifth of cases reported to date.

Most of the state’s positive coronavirus cases are in South Florida, but the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas have become growing hotspots of the virus. Gov. Ron DeSantis has said the first COVID-19 cases could have been in Florida weeks before the first case was confirmed this month and acknowledges community spread is underway in parts of the state.

Miami-Dade County is home to three-in-ten cornavirus cases, with 1,474. Broward County also crossed 1,000 cases, now with 1,012.

Palm Beach County now has 383 cases, Orange County has 268 and Hillsborough County has 225. Lee, Duval, Pinellas and Collier counties also have more than 100 cases each.

Palm Beach County reported its seventh death, a 76-year-old female who had not traveled and who had not been exposed to a known person infected with COVID-19. And a fifth person died in Pinellas County, a male aged 58 who had also not traveled or interacted with another known case. A second person in Santa Rosa County, a 81-year-old female who had traveled in Florida and Indiana but had no known contact, passed away.

Collier County registered its first death from the novel coronavirus, a 61-year-old male who had traveled to Haiti and Mexico.

The state, federal, commercial and hospital labs have tested a total of 50,528 people. Results of 1,085 individuals are still pending.

At least 583 people traveled, 718 interacted with a confirmed case and 370 did both. The origins of 3,097 cases are still under investigation.

Officials confirmed 4,246 cases in Sunday’s morning report, an increase of 208 overnight.

Earlier Sunday, President Donald Trump extended federal guidelines for the virus an additional 30 days, through April.