ORLANDO, Fla. – Yet again, Florida saw another jump in the number of coronavirus cases over the course of a few hours, this time by an additional 403 for a new grand total of 6,741 as of Tuesday evening.
That number includes 85 people who have died, compared to 77 deaths as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, which is the last time figures were released.
At that time, there were 6,338 cases of COVID-19 statewide.
If you are having trouble viewing the map on mobile, click here.
The new 6,741 figure includes 857 hospitalizations, 251 non-Florida residents who were diagnosed while visiting the state and nine Floridians who tested positive while in a different part of the country.
Travel appears to be to blame for 737 cases, contact with a confirmed case caused 1,002 instances, travel and contact is cited as the reasoning for 458 cases and the remaining 4,293 are under investigation.
Health officials have not said how many people who tested positive for the respiratory illness in the past four weeks have since recovered.
Here’s how the numbers break down for Central Florida counties:
| County | Cases | Hospitalizations | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevard | 37 | 7 | 0 |
| Flagler | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| Lake | 66 | 13 | 0 |
| Marion | 25 | 2 | 0 |
| Orange | 373 | 62 | 4 |
| Osceola | 110 | 34 | 1 |
| Polk | 73 | 28 | 1 |
| Seminole | 103 | 25 | 0 |
| Sumter | 51 | 15 | 0 |
| Volusia | 80 | 20 | 1 |
According to data provided by the agency, the day with the most new cases since COVID-19 made its way to the Sunshine State was Sunday with 898 new instances. Monday saw 873 new cases. Thus far, Tuesday sits at 772.
Still, The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projects that Florida won’t reach its peak until early May. At that point, the state could be seeing 136 deaths per day.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has been reluctant to issue a statewide lockdown but on Monday, he issued an executive order requiring that residents in the hardest-hit counties -- Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach -- stay at home unless it’s absolutely necessary to leave the house. The mandate is in effect until April 15.
Collectively, those three counties have 3,893 of the state’s 6,741 cases, meaning more than half.
The governor also lifted red tape in order to allow retired first responders and medical professionals to quickly return to the workforce so they can help in the fight to stop the spread of coronavirus.
To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter or go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.