JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Florida rose to 21,019 Monday evening, an increase of 1,124 cases in the past 24 hours, according to the Florida Department of Health.
A 91-year-old Clay County woman was one of the 38 additional deaths that were reported Monday, bringing the statewide death toll to 499.
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There are now 1,416 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus across 11 counties in Northeast Florida.
Nursing homes and assisted-living centers, which are collectively known as long-term care facilities, remain an area of concern with 1,090 cases among residents or staff throughout the state, or 185 more than Sunday evening’s total.
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Nearly 198,000 people have been tested statewide. The vast majority (89%) of tests have come back negative.
At least 2,841 patients have been hospitalized with the virus. The state has not released the number of recoveries.
Despite being Florida’s largest and most populous city, Jacksonville’s infection rate (5.2%) hovers below the state average (10.7%) and substantially lower than other major metro areas such as Miami-Dade (17.7%).
While that’s a promising sign, Mayor Lenny Curry on Monday extended the city’s state of emergency through May 13. He urged residents not to grow complacent, noting the outbreak isn’t predicted to peak for another week and a half.
“We are still in the midst of a very real public health crisis,” the mayor said. “In fact, we’ve seen a slight increase in the last week in the number of suspected COVID-19 transports from the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, so we must remain focused and vigilant.”
Duval County continues to lead Northeast Florida with 691 cases. It is followed by Alachua (187 cases), St. Johns (176 cases), Clay (165 cases), Flagler (45 cases), Putnam (42 cases), Nassau (34 cases), Bradford (30 cases), Columbia (27 cases), Baker (17 cases) and Union (2 cases) counties.
View a breakdown of local county-by-county data below:
More access to COVID-19 testing
The latest data comes as access to COVID-19 testing expands in Jacksonville. The drive-through testing site at Lot J, which is now being run by the state, has raised its daily testing cap to 400 and loosened limits on who can get tested.
As part of that effort, the Florida National Guard has deployed service members to Jacksonville, who are taking shifts at the testing site in relief of city firefighters and police officers. The mayor said the idea is to free up first responders and allow them to resume some of their regular duties and assignments.
The site was previously only open to those who met strict criteria. Moving forward, healthcare workers from assisted-living facilities and anyone who has had close, sustained contact with known coronavirus patients can get tested there.
During a visit to the site last Friday, Gov. DeSantis said the state is working to collect more data on coronavirus cases, especially those among people who might not have gotten tested yet because they did not have any symptoms.
“Anybody that’s had close, sustained contact with an individual that has recently tested positive for COVID-19, they can get tested even if you personally may not have developed symptoms,” DeSantis said. “I think what we’re trying to do is get a sense of people that are asymptomatic who may be carrying the virus and maybe spreading the virus."
The Lot J site is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily or until the site hits its 400-test threshold.
Elderly residents most vulnerable
Even as the governor has stressed the importance of keeping long-term care facilities safe and clean, the number of positive tests at such facilities continues to grow.
Over the weekend, DeSantis said the National Guard has begun spot testing residents and staff at nursing homes in South Florida. “We want to continue to do that given that it is the most high-risk population,” the governor said.
According to health department data, 55 percent of the state’s 2,841 coronavirus-related hospitalizations and 82 percent of its 499 deaths have been reported among people ages 65 and older.
Many of those cases are concentrated in South Florida, the state’s epicenter. Miami-Dade County, for instance, has at least 201 cases at its facilities, while neighboring Broward County has 102 and Palm Beach County has 88.
A significant number of cases have also been reported at these facilities in Northeast Florida, including 60 in Clay County, 49 in Duval County and 21 more in Bradford County. There’s also an outbreak of 58 cases in Suwannee County.
But despite so much attention focused on long-term care facilities, the state has refused to identify which facilities have recorded positive tests. That has resulted in frustration from families with loved ones living in these facilities.
The lack of transparency has led the Miami Herald to sue for access to that information.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state will more aggressively inspect nursing homes to detect patients and staff who are infected with the coronavirus. DeSantis said Monday he has ordered the Florida National Guard to create 10 teams that will visit long-term care facilities to test employees and residents for the virus, with a focus on hard-hit Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. They will supplement 30 paramedics who have already been conducting such tests.
Meanwhile, state medical officials said the disease’s expansion may be reaching a plateau as the number of positive tests and hospitalizations seems to be stabilizing.