Record 156 coronavirus-related deaths, 14K new cases reported in Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida again set a record for the number of new coronavirus-related deaths recorded in a single day, state health officials said.

Data released Thursday by the Florida Department of Health revealed that an additional 156 people died of illnesses related to COVID-19.

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That number topped the previous one-day record set Tuesday, when 133 deaths were reported in a single day, according to state officials.

The number of new positive cases reported Thursday totaled 13,965. That’s a significant increase from a day earlier, when the state announced 10,181 new positive test results.

In the last 15 days, 23,455 people in nine Central Florida counties have tested positive for COVID-19. Of them, 637 had to be hospitalized and 142 have died.

“It’s is a little startling to hear that number out loud,” said Ryan Kaupe, an Orlando resident.

Here’s a breakdown of Central Florida:

In Orange County, more than 10,400 people have tested positive since July 1, and 113 of them were hospitalized and 44 have died.

In Seminole County, more than 2,000 new infections have been reported in the past 15 days; 65 were hospitalized and 14 have died.

In Osceola County, there have been about 2,100 new infections, 41 hospitalizations and 12 deaths.

In Brevard County, nearly 2,000 people have tested positive since July 1, 133 needed to be hospitalized and 27 have died.

In Volusia County, there have been 2,300 new infections, 118 hospitalizations and 21 deaths.

In Flagler County, 251 people have tested positive, 16 have needed to be hospitalized and two have died.

In Lake County, about 1,500 people in Lake County have tested positive since July 1. Forty-three have been hospitalized and 12 have died.

In Marion County, there are 1,300 new infections, 133 hospitalizations and eight deads.

In Sumter County, there are 389 new cases in the past two weeks, 44 of whom were hospitalized and two have died.

On June 26, the state banned all on-site consumption of alcohol at bars without food permits after outbreaks were traced back to some of the establishments.

Statewide, the positivity rate for the past two weeks in July is 14.1%, compared to the 4.6% positivity rate for the first two weeks of June.

However, several labs have said their numbers have been wrong on the state’s daily reports.

Florida’s death toll now stands at 4,782.

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To date, state health officials have recorded more than 315,000 positive tests for COVID-19.

The number of negative test results is approaching 2.5 million.

Of the 156 deaths reported Thursday, 28 were in Central Florida including eight in Orange County, six in Lake County, four each in Brevard and Polk counties, three in Seminole County and one each in Marion, Sumter and Flagler counties.

See a county-by-county breakdown of cases below, and click here for an interactive map of cases statewide:

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Orange: 21,299 (+1,390)

Seminole: 4,842 (+177)

Volusia: 4,572 (+217)

Brevard: 3,804 (+82)

Osceola: 5,270 (+519)

Lake: 3,009 (+127)

Sumter: 757 (+36)

Marion: 2,057 (+119)

Flagler: 575 (+18)

Polk: 8,498 (292)

Click here to find out where to find COVID-19 testing in Central Florida.

Gov. Ron DeSantis will give a live update on the pandemic at 12:30 p.m. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings will also hold a news conference on the virus at 5 p.m.

Click here watch those events live on Channel 9 Eyewitness News.

INTERACTIVE MAP: Coronavirus cases in Florida

Stay tuned to Channel 9 Eyewitness News for updates.

Video: Orange County officials host free sandbag, PPE program for residents The program begins Thursday and runs through July 30 at several sites around Central Florida.

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