TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida health officials reported nearly 4,300 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday as the number of patients hospitalized for the disease also ticked upward over the past few days.
The Florida Department of Health also confirmed 56 new deaths Tuesday, bringing the death toll from COVID-19 to 16,708.
The 4,298 additional cases announced Tuesday brings the total number of COVID-19 cases to 786,311 since the pandemic began. That brings the seven-day average of new cases above 3,600, similar to levels in late August when the state’s outbreak was coming down from its summertime peak. Hospitalizations have risen over recent days after remaining flat for about a month.
There were 2,333 people being treated for the disease in Florida hospitals in the late morning Tuesday, according to a state online census of hospital beds. That figure reached nearly 10,000 in late July, then declined steadily until late September when it began hovering between 2,000 and 2,200 for several weeks.
The numbers of deaths per day have continued to decline, averaging about 57 a day over the past week, down from a high of 185 in early August.
