JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A day after reporting one of its largest case spikes since mid-September, Florida added 2,908 cases of COVID-19 on Friday to bring the state’s total to 728,921 since March.
In the first nine days of October, Florid has averaged 2,489 daily cases of coronavirus, according to data from the Florida Department of Health.
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On Friday, Florida added 118 coronavirus-related deaths, pushing Florida’s total to 15,372 deaths of residents and non-residents since the pandemic began.
Florida ranks 12th among states for COVID-19 related deaths per capita.
There were nine Northeast Florida deaths reported Friday.
Duval County reported three more deaths for a total of 474 since the pandemic began. Alachua County added two more deaths and Baker, Bradford, Nassau and Union added one each.
About 40% of the coronavirus-related deaths in Florida over the last seven months have been connected to long-term care facilities. A separate Department of Health report indicated that almost all of the deaths involved residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, with about 70 involving staff members.
Florida vs. Duval County daily case increases from June-present:
The state’s positivity rate has also remained low, only rising above 5% two of the last 14 days.
In metro Jacksonville, case growth and positivity rates are generally lower. St. Johns, Clay, Nassau, Flagler and Bradford counties all reported positivity rates below 3% on Thursday. Duval County’s positivity rate was 4.79%.
Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, breathing trouble, sore throat, muscle pain, and loss of taste or smell. Most people develop only mild symptoms. But some people, usually those with other medical complications, develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.