Florida continues trend of reporting below 5,000 cases, positivity rate dips to 4%

Florida has been on a positive trend this week reporting seven days of fewer than 5,000 new coronavirus cases daily.

The Florida Department of Health on Saturday reported 4,311 new COVID-19 cases. The new cases bring the state’s running total since March to 597,597 cases.

The state also announced 104 new fatalities, bringing Florida’s death toll from the virus up to 10,411. That number includes 10,274 residents and 137 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 4.89% on Saturday.

Saturday’s positivity rate was the lowest recorded rate since Aug. 8.

Health officials agree the rate should be under 10% for two weeks to show infections are on the decline. Saturday marked the 10th day the rate was below 10% in Florida.

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 Saturday morning, there were 4,775 patients currently hospitalized with coronavirus in Florida, according to the state Agency for Healthcare Administration.

The Florida Department of Health reported 332 new hospitalizations on Friday, bringing the overall total to 36,329 since March.

[READ MORE: Orange County Public Schools releases list of worksites that had COVID-19 cases]

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

• Judge slated to rule on Florida teachers union lawsuit: Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson, who is slated to issue a ruling early next week, heard closing arguments in lawsuits filed by the Florida Education Association and the union that represents Orange County teachers. But lawyers representing Gov. Ron DeSantis, Corcoran and state education officials, who are defendants in the case, maintain that the Constitution also requires the state to provide “high-quality education” to Florida schoolchildren. Want to hear more about the case? Click or tap here to read more.
• 5,500 Brevard students still not registered: Brevard Public Schools on Friday reported 500 fewer students were not registered for the first day of school on Monday, but 5,500 students still had yet to notify their schools about their plans for the upcoming semester. A district spokeswoman said lots of families are making last-minute decisions. Preparations will likely continue over the weekend for some district employees. To read more, click or tap here.
• COVID-19 testing site at Barnett Park delayed: The coronavirus testing site at Barnett Park will open one day later than originally planned next week due to the threat of Tropical Storm Laura. The site at 4801 W. Colonial Dr. in Orlando was supposed to open to residents on Tuesday but instead, it will open on Wednesday. From there, it will operate from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day until Aug. 28. For more information on the test site, click or tap here.

Below is a breakdown of COVID-19 cases across Central Florida as of Aug. 22:

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.