The county of St. Johns sees the biggest jump in a single day in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida State Department of Health reported an additional 11,541 cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, including 824 cases in Duval County. This is the second most reported case in a single day in Jacksonville since the start of the pandemic.

Seven deaths were also reported in Duval County on Wednesday, a share of 125 deaths that were reported statewide. The death toll in Florida has already reached 20,490.

The county of St. Johns recorded its biggest one-day increase in cases since the pandemic began Wednesday, with an additional 155 cases. One county death has also been reported to have had 107 coronavirus-related deaths.

According to the health department, 1,155,335 people in Florida have already 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 Wednesday afternoon that 5,156 patients were hospitalized due to “primary” diagnoses of COVID-19, compared with 2,637 on September 14th. About 50 patients across the state have been admitted to hospitals in the past 24 hours.

Nursing homes across Florida began inoculating patients and staff Wednesday against COVID-19 with doses of the first U.S.-approved vaccine. It is part of an effort to protect people most vulnerable to the virus.

Amid the growing number, DeSantis held a press conference Wednesday 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 Tuesday was 9.28%, the health department said Wednesday. It is the first time since mid-August that the state has reported consecutive days in excess of 9% statewide. 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 report on the Coronavirus Task Force 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 spaces. interiors in 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 is on the rise,” 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.