JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With 19,516 cases reported in the last week, Florida’s daily average of new coronavirus cases in October is slowly increasing. A week ago, the state was averaging about 2,500 cases a day. Now, that average is 2,620 cases a day for the first 16 days of October.
Florida added 3,449 cases in Friday’s data from the state health department. Not counting an issue over the weekend that led to two days' data being reported Sunday, that marks the third time in nine days the state has reported more than 3,300 cases in a single day.
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There were 136 additional cases in Duval County in the last 24 hours, with 117 more in Alachua, 38 in St. Johns, 32 in Columbia and 31 in Clay. No other local county added more than 25 cases.
Florida has now reported 16,030 COVID-19 deaths of residents and non-residents since the pandemic began, adding 98 more in Friday’s data.
Duval County added five more coronavirus-related deaths, bringing Jacksonville’s total to 505 since the pandemic hit the state in March. Flagler County also added two deaths, and Clay, Putnam and Union added one each.
Florida and Duval County daily increases since June 1
Friday’s data showed an additional 30,193 people tested, bringing the total number of tests performed in the state to 5.68 million.
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The state and several local counties saw their positivity rates tick back below the 5% mark scientists say is the threshold for community spread. Florida’s rate was at 4.38%. Duval (4.08%), St. Johns (4.41%), Clay (4.20%), Nassau (4.06%), Putnam (2.66%) and Bradford (2.75%) counties were all below 5% on Thursday, according to Friday’s report.
Friday’s data comes as early in-person voting is set to begin Monday in 52 counties across the state, including most Northeast Florida counties.
About 15% of eligible Floridians have already cast ballots by mail for the 2020 general election.
For information on where and when you can vote early in Florida, click here.