Drew Dixon
Duval County saw another jump in confirmed coronavirus cases Monday morning, reflecting the increasing number of cases across Florida.
The Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 “dashboard” showed there are now 158 cases of the illness in Jacksonville. That’s up from Sunday night’s figure of 142.
The number of fatalities from coronavirus in Jacksonville has remained steady for the past week holding at three. But there are 23 people who’ve been hospitalized, the DOH website said.
Some 151 of those Duval County cases include residents of Jacksonville while another seven are non-residents. All of the confirmed cases recorded in Jacksonville live in Florida. Men account for 71 cases while 81 are women. The age range of those infected range from 5 years old to 97 and the average age is 51.
The total number of tests administered in Jacksonville is at 2,628 as of Monday morning. Out of those, 2,277 have come back negative.
The numbers keep climbing as Jacksonville city officials try to control the increasing demand for free testing for the illness. On Sunday, the city put a limit of 250 tests per day at the federal testing center at a parking lot of TIAA Bank Field because demand was so intense.
On Monday, city officials said that demand has remained high for tests at parking Lot J outside the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. But the city has made adjustments.
“The line of people waiting to get tested at the federal Lot J site is very long again this morning. However, additional lanes have been opened up due to the increase in traffic,” a statement posted on the city’s website said Monday morning.
City officials reminded residents seeking the free tests that there is no food available at the stadium parking lot and no restrooms are present, either.
There is another testing site at the Prime Osborn Convention Center at the western end of downtown Jacksonville, but that site charges a fee for testing.
The convention center is also where a federal field hospital has been established. While the makeshift facility can hold up to 250 intensive care unit patients, Jacksonville government officials said it will only be used when and if local hospitals reach capacity. That hasn’t happened yet.
Statewide, there were 5,473 coronavirus cases reported as of Monday morning. Out of those, 63 have ended in fatalities and another 652 people have been hospitalized in Florida.
There are 143,532 cases across America. Out of those, 2,572 have died.
One comment
Amy Roberts
March 30, 2020 at 12:43 pm
As soon as a test that has a faster turn around than 5-8 days, they need to test for free as many as that are needed without stressing testing staff. Limiting free and charging for tests is going to continue to keep us from lowering the curve over time.
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