COVID: Jan. 19 daily update for Treasure Coast cases, deaths, hospitalizations and more

On the Treasure Coast, five more people who had COVID-19 have died, 228 more people have been diagnosed and 1,010 more people have been vaccinated, the Florida Department of Health reported Tuesday.

That brings the area's total to 883 deaths and 35,841 cases since March 2020. Since December, 30,426 people have been vaccinated in the region.

There were 226 patients with primary COVID-19 diagnoses in local hospitals Tuesday evening, which is up from 210 Sunday.

► Grocery inoculation:  Publix pharmacies in Martin County obtain vaccine

Health officials have said the virus is not necessarily the cause of deaths, but the state records people who at some point tested positive for the virus and later died. 

The data don’t necessarily reflect what occurred in real time, only what the state health department released. Meaning, the number of deaths contained in this report, for example, could have occurred days, weeks or months ago, but are only now being released after the state verified the information, which can fluctuate. 

► Vaccine FAQs:  How to sign up, get on waitlists, and more

Virus data — an ever-evolving investigative process that includes cases, deaths and positivity rates — can change as epidemiologists and health officials discover discrepancies on a case-by-case basis, according to local health departments. 

Lindsey Leake is TCPalm's explanatory and health reporter. She has a master's in journalism and digital storytelling from American University and a bachelor's from Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @NewsyLindsey, Facebook @LindseyMLeake and Instagram @newsylindsey. Call her at 772-529-5378 or email her at lindsey.leake@tcpalm.com.