Panhandle now home to 72 coronavirus cases

Image via the Pensacola News Journal.

State health officials have confirmed 49 new coronavirus cases in the Panhandle since the weekend, raising the region’s total to 66 cases of the novel virus.

One person has died and 16 have been hospitalized with complications from COVID-19.

Okaloosa County leads the region with 22 confirmed cases, including one resident out of state and two non-residents. Escambia County has 20 cases, all residents in state. But 14 of Escambia’s cases are travel-related while only 10 of Okaloosa’s are.

Behind the two counties leading in cases is Walton County with 13 and Santa Rosa County with 12. In Walton, four have been hospitalized while seven were hospitalized in Santa Rosa.

The Panhandle’s one death remains the 71-year-old Santa Rosa County man who had traveled to Egypt, Israel and Jordan.

Bay County is home to three confirmed COVID-19 cases, including one non-Florida resident. One has been hospitalized.

Washington County received its first reported case Thursday, a man in his fifties who had traveled and was hospitalized in state. Jackson County also has one case, a non-Florida resident.

Florida now has 2,484 confirmed coronavirus cases statewide, including 29 deaths, among 2,359 residents. Even as the Panhandle’s reported cases increase, South Florida remains the biggest hotspot of COVID-19 cases in the state.

Miami-Dade County now reports 654 confirmed cases while Broward County had 505. That marked a 125-count increase in Miami-Dade, 93-count increase in Broward County since Wednesday evening.

In addition to the Washington County new case Thursday, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties each received four new cases while Escambia County saw three new cases.

Officials have yet reported cases in Calhoun, Gulf or Holmes counties.

At least 281 individuals in Escambia County have been tested, the most in the region. Only 22 people have been tested in Gulf County, 16 in Holmes County and six in Calhoun County.

Pensacola leads the region’s cities with 14 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Destin, Navarre and Niceville each have seven cases. Cantonment has six cases and Santa Rosa Beach has five cases.