Florida coronavirus numbers approach 100,000 after new positive cases reported

The Florida Department of Health reports 3,494 new people have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Sunday marks the first time in days that the number of positive cases is lower than the previous day.

On Saturday, health officials reported 4,049 new cases of COVID-19.

[READ MORE: Businesses in downtown Orlando adapting to face mask requirements]

Sunday’s positive cases bring the state’s total of all confirmed coronavirus cases since the disease was first detected in the state on March 1 to 97,291, as well as a total of 3,161 deaths.

Since March, 13,037 people with severe cases of the virus have required hospitalization. The state does not report the number of current patients in hospitals with the coronavirus or the number of individuals who have recovered from the disease after being diagnosed.

The newly reported cases also depend on the number of tests administered per day but the state doesn’t release private lab testing in its overall total so that percentage is difficult to determine.

[RELATED: Orange County residents will be required to wear face masks under new executive order]

Gov. Ron DeSantis called on healthcare executives and experts Friday to address the increase in coronavirus cases the state has reported over the last two weeks crediting the increase to mostly young and healthy individuals.

The governor called on several hospital executives, South Florida leaders and state medical officials to reiterate that hospitals have plenty of beds and ventilators available.

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Here’s a breakdown of coronavirus numbers by county in the Central Florida region:

Volunteers spent Saturday morning handing out free meals to more than 500 families who are struggling to make ends meet months into the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hundreds of cars lined up outside the Willow Street Community Center in Zellwood hours before volunteers passed out bags of food and water.

Lamar Smith, the president of Link Up Central Florida, said that’s a sign there is still a need to help families during the coronavirus pandemic.

"These are desperate times and to be able to provide for so many families during this pandemic, it really does something to me," Smith said.

Saturday’s food distribution marked the fifth event put on by State Senator Randolph Bracy’s office. It was held in partnership with Farm Share, Feed the Need Florida, and Careplus.

Organizers said they have additional food distribution events planned over the next couple of months.

MORE: ‘These are desperate times:’ Hundreds of families receive free meals during COVID-19 pandemic

Florida’s unemployment rate hit a record 14.5% in May because of the economic shutdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak, but there are signs the job market is improving as businesses reopen and rehire employees, federal statistics released Friday show.

Florida’s unemployment rate jumped slightly from 13.8% in April as 1.3 million residents reported being without jobs, with only Minnesota showing a higher percentage point increase, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said. Ten states have higher unemployment rates, including Nevada (25.3%) and Hawaii (22.6%), which are also heavily dependent on tourism. Florida’s rate had been 2.8% in February.

Florida's overall numbers masked two figures that showed some glimmer of hope. First, the state's labor force grew from 9.5 million in April to 9.7 million in May, meaning some people who had stopped looking for work in March and April rejoined the market. Still, that's 7% lower than the 10.4 million working or seeking work in February before the virus hit.

And while the percentage of that labor force that is unemployed grew, the raw number of people with jobs bumped slightly higher, growing to 8.3 million from 8.16 million. In February, 10.1 million Floridians had jobs.

The Associated Press contributed to this story