Northwest Florida coronavirus cases rise to 28

State health officials reported seven additional cases of the novel coronavirus in Northwest Florida Sunday, bumping the case total to 28.

That news comes as the statewide tally of COVID-19 cases crossed 1,000 Sunday as more robust testing, including drive-thru sites, throughout the state revealed 444 new cases over the weekend.

Department of Health (DOH) data shows three additional coronairus cases in Escambia County and two more in Okaloosa County. Leon and Santa Rosa counties each had one additional case.

Only one person in the region has died due to the virus. That 71-year-old Santa Rosa County male had visited Egypt, Israel and Jordan and was one of the first two deaths in the state, reported on March 6.

Okaloosa County currently has the most cases in the northwest with 14. One of those individuals was not tested inside Florida.

Leon County has five coronavirus cases while Escambia, Santa Rosa and Walton counties each have had four. Bay and Jackson counties each have had one non-resident test positive.

Eight people have been hospitalized for the virus across Northwest Florida.

All new reported cases in the region Sunday were revealed in the evening release. No Northwest Florida cases were announced in the 11 a.m. release.

The most recent update in figures from DOH shows 1,007 cases of the novel coronavirus in the state. That includes 937 Florida residents and 70 non-state residents tested here. Thirteen people have died from the virus statewide.

That’s a significant increase since a Sunday morning press conference, when officials revealed 830 positive cases, an update which included the most recent death.

South Florida still remains the state’s COVID-19 hotspot, with 227, 217 and 72 cases reported in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties respectively. Broward County is the site of the state’s largest drive-thru testing facility, which opened Friday.

Last week, a Georgia resident was transported to Leon County before she died of the virus. State officials have not included that death in the state’s official count.