Department of Health released new numbers showing death toll rising to 1,539.

Deaths top 1,500 with more than 38,000 cases

The state Department of Health released new numbers Wednesday showing the death toll rising by 68 to 1,539, along with 563 new cases for a total of 38,002 statewide.

Five of the new deaths were in Central Florida, including one in Orange County, two in Osceola and two in Polk.

Orange County has had the most victims, with 36 fatalities of the 148 in the region. Central Florida currently has 4,277 cases, including 1,460 in Orange, 564 in Polk, 529 in Osceola,

526 in Volusia, 408 in Seminole, 320 in Brevard, 236 in Lake and 234 in Sumter.

South Florida remains the epicenter of the pandemic in the state, accounting for 59% of cases with 22,404 total among MiamiDade (13,371), Broward (5,553) and Palm Beach (3,480) counties. DeSantis said Wednesday that the hard-hit region likely will enter Phase 1 reopening — which the began in the rest of the state on Monday — soon, but he didn’t offer a specific timetable.

Nationwide, there are 1.2 million cases and over 71,000 deaths.

Worldwide, there are nearly 3.7 million cases and over 258,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins

University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center.

Health workers, first responders first for antibody tests at site

South Florida will get the first state testing site to detect antibodies to the coronavirus, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday.

The plan, for now, is to focus on health care workers and first responders to figure out who’s been exposed and has some level of immunity.

The antibody testing will be added to the drivethru coronavirus testing site at Hard Rock Stadium.

DeSantis said the Hard Rock site already has conducted 20,000 coronavirus tests.

He said it takes about 15 minutes to get the antibody test results back.

The state has 200,000 tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Besides the Hard Rock site, the tests will be supplied to hospitals for their workers. Antibody tests will also soon be administered in Orange and Duval counties, DeSantis said.

Crowds return to Volusia beaches with warnings

Officials issued about 900 verbal social distancing warnings to people during the first weekend that Volusia County’s beaches were largely reopened for almost all activities.

“For the most part, beachgoers spaced out and kept groups small,” Ray Manchester, Volusia County Beach Safety director, said Monday during a briefing.

While the beautiful weather drew crowds to the beaches, most people complied with the spacing rules, Manchester said.

He added that the heaviest crowds were near large, off-beach parking lots and hotels that have reopened. Family of dead crew member files suit

The family of a cruise crew member who died after testing positive for COVID-19 filed a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean Cruises on Tuesday, saying the company failed to protect its employees as the pandemic ravaged sailings around the world.

The wrongful death case filed in circuit court in Miami says Pujiyoko, 27, worked in housekeeping on the Symphony of the Seas and suffered from flulike symptoms.