As of Tuesday afternoon, there are 852,174 total cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Florida, an increase of 4,353 since FDOH’s last update Monday afternoon.

More than 56,600 test results were reported to the Department of Health on Monday, Nov. 9. Of those reported tests, 8.34 percent tested positive; the third time in the last four days the rate has topped 8%. The Nov. 6 rate of 8.27% was the highest daily percent positivity reported by the state since Aug. 17 when 7.91 percent of new cases tested positive. Percent positivity rates in new cases have been over 5% 13 out of the last 14 days.

The state saw its highest 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 69 (three occurring Monday) from the last update, including six in Lee.

According to FDOH’s Tuesday report, “Today, data reported to the Agency for Health Care Administration shows that the number of COVID-19 positive patients that are currently hospitalized is down more than 70 percent since July.”

Of those testing positive, 50,872 Florida residents have been hospitalized at some point during their illness according to the state. There have been 17,460 deaths.

According to the Agency for Health Care Administration, at 2 p.m. Tuesday, there were 3,025 (+123) hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19.

The age groups of Florida residents that have yielded the most positive test results are 25-34 years old (18%), followed by 35-44 (16%), 45-54 (16%) and 15-24 (16%).

The highest hospitalization rate is found in patients 65-74 (20%), 75-84 (19%) and 55-64 (17%) years old.

In Lee County, 25,067 (+134) individuals have tested positive as Tuesday’s report, including; 9,969 in Fort Myers (+46), 5,678 in Cape Coral (+30), 4,480 in Lehigh Acres (+16), 1,576 in Bonita Springs (+21), 913 in North Fort Myers (+3), 734 in Estero (+7), 139 in Alva (+1), 120 on Fort Myers Beach (-5), 103 on Matlacha (+1), 99 in South Fort Myers (+1), 68 in Sanibel (+0), 66 in Bokeelia (+0), 64 in Bonita Beach (+0), 39 at Florida Gulf Coast University (+0), 33 in Saint James City (+0), 19 at Babcock Ranch (+0), 18 in Tice (+0), 13 in Boca Grande (+0), nine in Miromar Lakes (+1), four in Buckingham (+0), three on Captiva (+0), three in San Carlos Park (+0) and one in Immokalee (+0); 478 (+11) cases were not identified by community.

Positive COVID-19 cases in the county have ranged from infants to a 103-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 537 (+6) deaths in Lee County; 261 (+0) of those deaths were reported in residents or staff of long-term care facilities.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Lee Health had 101 COVID-19 patients isolated in system inpatient hospitals, including 22 new admissions and 10 discharges since Monday. The system also reported 51 new admissions and 33 discharges over the weekend.

A total of 3,082 patients who had tested positive have been discharged since the beginning of the pandemic.

On Monday, Lee Health had a 24.7% 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.

Census as of Tuesday afternoon was at 92 (+9)% of staffed operational bed capacity, with 7.8 (+0)% 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 Tuesday, 76 (-2)% of ventilators and 13 (-11)% of ICU rooms are available for use across Lee Health facilities.

As of Tuesday, there were six (+1) COVID-19 patients on ventilators and 15 (+2) 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.

–Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj