Drew Dixon
Northeast Florida saw another increase in the count of coronavirus cases Wednesday, according to the Florida Department of Health’s morning update. There were a total of 39 new cases in the region.
Most counties on the First Coast posted an increase in victims infected with COVID-19. Most notably Duval County showed a spike of 28 cases. There were 521 reported cases Tuesday and the DOH dashboard showed that number jumped to 549 victims Wednesday.
Clay County, which is significantly smaller, also saw an increase in numbers going from 88 cases Tuesday to 97 Wednesday, according to DOH.
Even largely rural Nassau County showed an uptick in total cases going from 27 victims to 29 on Wednesday.
Baker and St. Johns counties showed no increase.
All counties held steady on the number of fatalities attributed to the novel coronavirus. Duval County has 10, Baker County one, Clay County seven and St. Johns County has two fatalities relayed to the infection.
Most Northeast Florida counties also held steady on the number of victims who have been hospitalized, though Clay and St. Johns counties increased by one each respectively. Clay County hospitalizations are up to 26 Wednesday and St. Johns County now stands at 29.
Efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19 got a boost in Jacksonville Wednesday when the Jacksonville Jaguars announced they will help with the “#masks4jax” program. The NFL franchise is distributing 45,000 protective masks with the Jaguars logo on them.
That move is an homage to Tony Boselli, the teams founding first round draft pick and retired multi-year all-pro offensive tackle. Boselli last week shared his own COVID-19 battle including being hospitalized in the intensive care unit at Jacksonville’s Mayo Clinic before recovering.
“The production of the Jaguars masks amplifies Boselli’s primary message of the importance of protecting yourself, your family and your community if one must leave home,” read a statement on the team’s website Wednesday.
The team has been indirectly at the forefront of the coronavirus outbreak from nearly the beginning. A federal and free testing site for the illness was established in March in a parking lot outside TIAA Bank Field, the home stadium of the Jaguars.
City officials are limiting the number of tests at that site to 250 per day. The site often closes early because the limit is quickly reached as testing remains in high demand.
Across Florida, 15,456 cases of coronavirus have been recorded as of Wednesday. Of those, 309 people have died and another 1,955 people have been hospitalized.
Nationally, 399,979 people tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday morning and 12,911 of those victims had died in America.
