JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The number of reported coronavirus cases in Florida increased to 4,950, up 704 cases in a span of seven hours, according to numbers released Sunday evening by the Florida Department of Health.
UPDATE: Jacksonville has 158 COVID-19 cases as Florida caseload eclipses 5,400
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About 6:30 p.m. Sunday, four new deaths were reported in Collier, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Santa Rosa counties. In the state, there have now been 60 confirmed deaths, according to the Department of Health.
A total of 633 COVID-19 patients in Florida were hospitalized as of early Sunday evening.
The new numbers include 142 cases in Duval County (up from the 125 cases reported Sunday morning), 72 in Alachua County (up from 71), 59 cases in St. Johns County (up from 50), 35 cases in Clay County (up from 30), eight cases in Nassau County (up from seven), eight cases in Baker County (up from seven), and two cases in Bradford County (up one).
A total of 12 cases were reported in Putnam County (no change), 13 cases in Flagler County (no change), and three cases in Columbia County (no change). No cases have been reported in Union County.
Of the state’s coronavirus patients, 4,768 are Florida residents.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said an executive order that requires a 14-day self-quarantine for everyone coming from airports in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut has already helped to stop the possible spread of the novel coronavirus in Jacksonville.
Speaking during a news conference Saturday afternoon, DeSantis said that a traveler who had previously tested positive for COVID-19 was on a flight from a New York City airport to Jacksonville International Airport on Friday when he was intercepted at an airport checkpoint and taken to a local hospital.
DeSantis also announced Saturday the creation of a new checkpoint on Interstate 95 at the Florida-Georgia border. The checkpoint will screen drivers traveling from the New York area. The announcement followed on the heels of Friday’s decision to set up a similar checkpoint in Northwest Florida, on Interstate 10, targeting travelers from Louisiana.:
In addition, DeSantis said Saturday that Florida was able to obtain more than 2,000 rapid tests. The governor said there are plans to send them to Jacksonville and hard-hit areas in South Florida.