COVID-19 in Florida: What you need to know Tuesday, Aug. 18

The Florida Department of Health verified 219 additional COVID-19 deaths and 3,838 new cases Tuesday.

That marks the 10th day that more than 200 deaths have been reported, all of which have occurred since July 29. In August, 2,915 people have died of COVID-19 complications.

The seven-day average for reported COVID-19 deaths in Florida was 172 Tuesday. Statewide, 9,758 people have died since the pandemic began.

On Tuesday, the cumulative number of cases in Florida increased to 579,932. The state has recorded three consecutive days with less than 4,000 new cases, the first time that has happened since June 21-23.  

Tuesday marked the 23rd straight day the state reported fewer than 10,000 new cases. Florida's seven-day average for new cases dropped to 5,306 Tuesday. The state's cumulative positivity rate for overall tests remained at 13.53%. 

Statewide, testing continued its recent slowdown. On Monday, the state reported a total of 56,884 tests, the third consecutive day with less than 60,000. That hasn't happened since June 28-30.

The number of Florida residents hospitalized with COVID-19 is 34,695 since the pandemic began. The Department of Health notes the total figure is cumulative and does not reflect the number of COVID-19 patients currently in hospitals.

Here's a breakdown of the latest numbers in Florida:

Overview

• Total cases: 579,932
• Deaths of Florida residents: 9,758
• Hospitalizations: 34,695

Testing

• Total tests: 4,285,720
• Positive: 579,932
• Negative: 3,699,108
• % positive: 13.53%
• Inconclusive: 6,680
• Awaiting testing: 3,814

Deaths in long-term care facilities

• Total: 4,118

Top 5 cities with confirmed cases

• Miami: 87,159
• Orlando: 25,254
• Jacksonville: 22,934
• Hialeah: 21,010
• Tampa: 20,782

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