3,838 new coronavirus cases, 219 deaths reported as Floridians head to the polls

ORLANDO, Fla. – As Floridians head out to cast their ballot in the state’s primary elections, coronavirus cases in the Sunshine State continue to slowly rise.

Because of the pandemic, Supervisor of Elections Offices in Central Florida are stepping up safety and sanitization protocols to protect voters when they cast their ballots for the state’s primary elections.

Click here to see some of the coronavirus-related precautions Central Florida counties are implementing at the polls.

[ELECTION NEWS: 2020 VOTER GUIDE: Everything you need to know ahead of Florida’s primary election]

On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health reported 3,838 new COVID-19 cases. The new cases bring the state’s running total since March to 579,932 cases.

Florida saw its lowest number of coronavirus cases on Monday with 2,678 cases. The last time Florida reported a lower count of new positive cases was June 17.

[READ NEXT: Results 2020: Polls open as Election Day arrives in Florida]

The state also announced 219 new fatalities, bringing Florida’s death toll from the virus up to 9,893. That number includes 9,758 residents and 135 non-residents who died in Florida. New COVID-19 deaths are often delayed in reporting to the state DOH and those new deaths could have occurred within the past few weeks.

The positivity rate, which represents the number of people who tested positive for the first time compared to the overall number of tests reported by the DOH for the day prior was 7.91% on Monday.

Health officials agree the rate should be under 10% to show infections are on the decline.

If you are having trouble viewing the dashboard above on mobile, click here.

Many people who test positive for COVID-19 will have mild or no symptoms at all, which is why it is important to monitor hospitalizations and deaths attributed to the virus.

As of Tuesday morning, there were 5,484 patients currently hospitalized with coronavirus in Florida, according to the state Agency for Healthcare Administration.

The Florida Department of Health reported 501 new hospitalizations on Tuesday, bringing the overall total to 34,695 since March.

Here are three things to know about coronavirus in Central Florida and across the U.S. for Tuesday:

• OCPS opening: The Orange County School Board decided the district will reopen as planned. This news comes after school officials received recommendations from the medical advisory committee. The committee created to help schools reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The update on schools will reopen as planned came after a 6-2 vote. To read more click or tap here.
• Coin shortage: The Federal Reserve announced in June that the supply system for coins had been severely disrupted by the pandemic. While there are still enough coins out there, they aren’t circulating as freely because many businesses have been closed and consumers aren’t out spending as usual. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin urges Americans to use coins.
• Seminole teachers quarantine: Two fifth-grade teachers at a Seminole County elementary school are self-quarantining after one of them tested positive for COVID-19 a day or two before students returned to class, officials said. Seminole County Public Schools said a teacher at Altamonte Springs Elementary School tested positive over the weekend. For more information, click or tap here.

Below is a breakdown of COVID-19 cases across Central Florida as of Aug. 18:

Editor’s note: The numbers and data referenced in this story are publicly available on the Florida Department of Health website here and on the AHCA dashboard here.

To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter and go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.