JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County added more than 600 new cases of coronavirus to push Jacksonville over 10,000 total COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, according to data reported Wednesday morning by the Florida Department of Health.
Jacksonville now has 10,439 confirmed cases of coronavirus with 387 hospitalizations and 70 deaths.
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Florida added 9,989 cases from the previous day’s total, bringing the state to 223,783 total cases since the pandemic began.
There were 48 additional deaths in the state’s report Wednesday, including one in St. Johns County, a 95-year-old man whose case was first counted by the state on June 25. That brings St. Johns County to nine deaths related to coronavirus.
Jacksonville’s percent of people testing positive was at 13.3% on Tuesday. The state was at 14.15%
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, who announced Tuesday he’s in self-quarantine because of COVID-19 exposure, said hospitalizations for coronavirus are going up in the city but those patients aren’t flooding the intensive care units at local hospitals. He said the ICU beds, which are closely monitored, are filling up, but not with COVID-19 patients.
“The risk is that as this community spread happens that it spreads into a vulnerable population and, again, it stresses our hospital systems,” Curry said, adding that the hospitals are not there yet but it’s a concern. “Their loads are up and we just have to do everything we can to slow the spread.”
Only two medical facilities in the area will share their numbers: Baptist and UF Health.
Baptist on Wednesday reported 133 patients being treated for COVID-19 with 23 in serious condition in the ICU. UF Health reported 74 total cases and 23 patients in ICU for coronavirus.
Last week, Curry issued a face mask mandate for Jacksonville, requiring people to wear masks indoors when they can’t socially distance.
“As I’ve stated for months, we’re asking that everyone practice personal responsibility and wear their mask at times where they cannot be socially distant. I’m grateful for those that are taking this responsibility seriously,” Curry said. “The actions are protecting the health and safety of your loved ones, friends, neighbors, (and) high-risk persons in our city.”
Jacksonville added three new federal testing sites at locations across the city Wednesday. The sites were opened because Jacksonville has been designated a “surge site” by the federal government.
Florida reached 100,000 cases on June 22, more than three months after the effects of the coronavirus began to be felt in the state, so Florida has added more than 123,000 cases in just over two weeks.