No data dumps to blame for record-shattering 5,500 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, officials say

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida shattered its single-day COVID-19 case increase record on Wednesday reporting more than 5,500 cases in 24 hours.

The state also reported 44 additional deaths since Tuesday including five in Central Florida, two in Orange County, two in Polk County and one in Osceola County.

READ: Coronavirus: Where COVID-19 testing is available in Central Florida

The previous record for a single day case increase was in the four thousands. The new numbers bring the state’s total case numbers to 109,014 with 3,281 deaths.

Coronavirus in-depth report: Florida reports record-shattering 5,500 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours Florida shattered its single-day COVID-19 case increase record on Wednesday reporting more than 5,500 cases in 24 hours.

However, Orange County Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino said there’s another way to look at the data.

Pino said he and his team analyze the number of results received on a certain day, but also hone in on the day the test was administered.

Data dumps – when a lab hands over several days worth of results for COVID-19 tests all at once -- have caused problems for the Orange County Health Department in the past.

Back in May, Pino said a data dump was to blame for the uptick. But now, in late June, Pino said, “We haven’t seen any major data dumps lately,” meaning there’s no lab to point for the recent spikes.

Pino and his team will take a person’s results and put that result under the day the patient was tested. Doing so, Pino said, gives him and his team a better idea of what is actually going on with the community spread.

On Wednesday, the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced that they’ve issued a joint travel advisory directing people who visit from states with “significant spread of COVID,” including Florida, to quarantine for 14 days. Click here to read more about the order.

READ: ‘It’s utter nonsense’: Florida Rep. Anthony Sabatini files lawsuit alleging Orange County mask ordinance is unconstitutional

According to the Florida Department of Health, as of Wednesday 13,574 people were hospitalized from the virus and 1,559,328 people have tested negative in the state.

Orange County also set its record for the highest single-day increase with 554 new cases. Officials said the previous record was 374 cases in one day.

Hospitals in the Orange County said they’re at the highest number of hospitalizations they’ve ever had due to the virus, even higher than early April. But officials said their ICU and ventilator numbers are low because patients are younger.

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

Orange: 6,056 (+554)

Polk: 2,454 (+175)

Seminole: 1,624 (+173)

Volusia: 1,369 (+68)

Osceola: 1,222 (+75)

Brevard: 1,022 (+104)

Lake: 838 (+43)

Marion: 467 (+43)

Sumter: 299 (+9)

Flagler: 250 (6)

Click here to read more coverage on the pandemic.

READ: State to crack down on social distancing in bars after Knight’s Pub liquor license suspended due to COVID-19 outbreak

Looking to get tested for the virus? Click here for a list of testing locations in each Central Florida county.

Video: Long lines developing at COVID-19 testing sites in Central Florida Steve Barrett reports following the uptick in cases.

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