3 Northeast Florida counties see a larger increase in COVID-19 cases in weeks

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida State Department of Health reported an additional 9,411 coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the average of seven days of new cases in the state to just over 10,000. Records show that the weekly average has not been as high since July 30th.

Tuesday also saw 94 deaths in Florida, including six deaths in Northeast Florida counties.

Clay County, which on Tuesday saw a larger one-day increase in cases since Sept. 12 (115), reported three deaths. A total of 169 people have died in Clay County since the pandemic began. Two deaths were recorded in Baker County and one death in Union County.

Bradford County saw its biggest one-day increase since Sept. 3, with 31 new cases reported and Union County saw 19 new cases, the highest in a day since Oct. 15.

According to the health department, 1,143,794 people in Florida have now tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

As the number of cases has increased in Florida this fall, more patients with COVID-19 have also required hospitalization. The Agency for Health Care Administration reported Tuesday afternoon that 5,103 patients were hospitalized due to “primary” diagnoses of COVID-19, compared with 2,637 on September 14th.

Amid the growing number, DeSantis held a press conference Tuesday in West Palm Beach and said restaurants should remain open despite the increase in cases. He was optimistic that the vaccine, which arrived in Florida on Monday, will help reduce the number of cases and deaths, especially in long-term care centers.

The statewide test-based positivity rate on Monday was 9.64%, the health department said Tuesday. The last time the rate was highest was on November 13, when it was 9.98%. The positivity rate, a key factor in determining the community spread of the virus, has not fallen below 6.22% in weeks.

A White House coronavirus task force report recommended that Florida implement stricter measures to curb the spread of the virus, including wearing a mask at all times in public, increasing physical distance by reducing capacity, or closing indoor spaces to restaurants and bars and limiting meetings outside nearby homes. The December 6 report, obtained by the Public Integrity Center, also urged leaders to start warning about the risks of meeting during the December holidays.

DeSantis has ruled out other trade restrictions or a mask warrant aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.

Among all states, Florida had the 41st number of newer cases per 100,000 residents and the 33rd highest rate of positive cases, according to the Dec. 6 report.

“The ranking is almost irrelevant as the whole country rises,” the report said.

Last week, two newspapers denounced the DeSantis administration for not making public the weekly reports on coronavirus disease in the Sunshine State, prepared by the White House coronavirus working group.