As of 11 a.m. Thursday, there are 510,389 cases of the new coronavirus confirmed in Florida, an increase of 7,650 since FDOH’s last update Wednesday morning.

More than 104,100 test results were reported to the Department of Health on Wednesday, Aug. 5. Of those reported tests, 8.34 percent tested positive. This is the lowest percent positivity of new tests in a daily report over the last 14 days. Over the last two weeks, the average positivity rate has been 10.95.

The state saw its highly daily percentage of positive patients July 8, when 18.50 percent of tests reported were positive among 51,686 tests.

The death toll increased by 120 from Tuesday’s update, reported among Lee, Brevard, Broward, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Dade, Escambia, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Jackson, Lake, Leon, Liberty, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Volusia and Walton counties.

This does not mean all of the deaths occurred or were reported by local health care facilities on that day but that they were released in the state report that day after reports were processed.

A total of 3,863,276 individuals have been tested: 3,346,947 have tested negative, 5,940 tests were inconclusive and 3,325 tests are pending results. Of those testing positive, 29,131 Florida residents have been hospitalized at some point during their illness according to the state. There have been 7,871 deaths.

The age groups of Florida residents that have yielded the most positive test results are 25-34 years old (19%), followed by 35-44 (16%), 45-54 (16%) and 15-24 (15%).

The highest hospitalization rate is found in patients 65-74 (19%), 75-84 (18%) and 55-64 (18%) years old.

In Lee County, 16,090 (+129) individuals have tested positive as of 11 a.m. Thursday; 6,499 in Fort Myers (+39), 3,654 in Cape Coral (+32), 3,202 in Lehigh Acres (+29), 1,056 in Bonita Springs (+8), 576 in North Fort Myers (+2), 354 in Estero (+6), 96 in Alva (+1), 65 on Fort Myers Beach (+1), 37 in Sanibel (+0), 30 in Bokeelia (+0), 21 in Saint James City (+0), 15 in Tice (+0), 12 on Matlacha (+0), four in Buckingham (+0), three on Captiva (+0), three in Boca Grande (+0), three in Miromar Lakes (+0), two in San Carlos Park (+0), one in South Fort Myers (+0) and one in Immokalee (+0);162 cases were not identified by community.

Positive COVID-19 cases in the county have ranged from infants to a 101-year-old. Lee County saw its first two cases on March 7, when a man and a woman, each 77, tested positive. They had traveled to the Dominican Republic.

There have been 323 (+6) deaths in Lee County; 178 (+4) deaths were reported in residents or staff of long-term care facilities.

As of Thursday morning, Lee Health had 181 COVID-19 patients isolated in system inpatient hospitals, including 24 new admissions on Wednesday.

A total of 2,087 patients who had tested positive have been discharged since the beginning of the pandemic, including 22 on Wednesday.

The system has submitted a total of 46,044 specimens for testing with 422 results pending.

On Wednesday, Lee Health had a 15.6% positivity rate on COVID-19 tests processed through Lee Health Labs. This represents Lee Health results only, not Lee County as a whole. Hospital positivity rates tend to be higher as the tests are performed on patients seeking treatment for a health issue, not the general public that includes asymptomatic individuals.

Lee Health’s mobile collection sites on Wednesday collected 154 specimens.

Current Census is at 87 (-1)% of staffed operational bed capacity, with 15.2 (+.2)% of those being COVID-19 patients. Staffed operational capacity reflects the number of beds for which the hospital has adequate staffing, not the total number of beds within Lee Health hospitals. Overall bed capacity fluctuates hour to hour as the system discharges patients throughout the day who are ready to go home.

As of Thursday, 65 (+2)% of ventilators and 18 (+1)% of ICU rooms are available for use across Lee Health facilities.

There are currently 26 (-2) COVID-19 patients on ventilators and 35 (-3) in the intensive care unit.

COVID-19 is a highly contagious viral disease. For most individuals, symptoms are mild. For a minority, the disease becomes a type of viral pneumonia with severe complications. Especially at risk are those who are older, those with underlying health conditions and the immune-compromised.

Officials strongly urge all members of the public who are at risk to remain at home so as to limit exposure. All others are urged to observe social distancing and to wear a mask for all public interactions.

For more detail on Florida resident cases, visit the live DOH Dashboard.

To find the most up-to-date information and guidance on COVID-19, visit the Department of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 webpage. For information and advisories from the Centers for Disease Control, visit the CDC COVID-19 website. For more information about current travel advisories issued by the U.S. Department of State, visit the travel advisory website.

For any other questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, contact the Department’s dedicated COVID-19 Call Center by calling 1-866-779-6121. The Call Center is available 24 hours per day. Inquiries may also be emailed to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.