Florida reports 5,500 new COVID-19 cases, 85 virus-related deaths

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida reported an additional 5,571 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday.

That increase in cases brings the total number in the state since the pandemic began to 2,184,354.

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The state also reported 85 additional virus-related deaths on Tuesday, bringing the state’s total death toll since the pandemic began to 35,294.

Of the most recent deaths, 22 were reported in Central Florida. That includes five in Polk and Volusia counties and four in Osceola and Marion counties.

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Researchers at Texas A&M University have identified a new COVID-19 variant that appears to show resistance to coronavirus antibodies.

Only one case of the emergent strain, which originated in Texas, has been confirmed, and researchers at the Texas A&M Global Health Research Complex believe it is related to the variant first detected in the United Kingdom that was recently declared the dominant strain of the virus in the United States.

Read more here.

Texas A&M identifies new, potentially antibody-resistant COVID-19 variant (NCD)

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See a county-by-county breakdown of total (and new) coronavirus cases below, and click here for an interactive map of cases statewide:

Orange: CASES: 132,716 (+361) DEATHS: 1,231 (+0)

Polk: CASES: 65,521 (+204) DEATHS: 1,296 (+5)

Osceola: CASES: 42,717 (+133) DEATHS: 496 (+4)

Volusia: CASES: 41,652 (+152) DEATHS: 773 (+5)

Brevard: CASES: 39,745 (+119) DEATHS: 847 (+1)

Marion: CASES: 30,173 (+58) DEATHS: 948 (+4)

Seminole: CASES: 32,698 (+101) DEATHS: 482 (+2)

Lake: CASES: 28,542 (+77) DEATHS: 622 (-1)

Sumter: CASES: 9,136 (+20) DEATHS: 273 (+1)

Flagler: CASES: 7,080 (+15) DEATHS: 106 (+0)

Cox Media Group