Suzette Porter
The Florida Department of Health reported two more COVID-19 deaths in Pinellas on Wednesday night, bringing the count to 21, which is five more this week. One death was confirmed this morning and two on Tuesday.
The county’s cumulative case count rose to 641 — three more than the number reported this morning and nine more than the number DOH reported on Tuesday morning. The county’s first two cases were reported on March 11.
Statewide, the cumulative number of cases increased to 28,576 with 927 deaths. Cases in the United States totaled 840,340 with 46,560 deaths. Globally, more than 2.6 million cases have been reported with 182,943 deaths.
COVID-19 cases in Pinellas include 600 Florida residents and 41 non-residents. More cases were in females, 312, to 288 in males. Ages range from 1-101. The median age was 56.
DOH reported that 79% of cases were in white people, 13% were black, 6% other and 3% unknown. According to ethnicity report, 87% were non-Hispanic, 9% were Hispanic and 5% were unknown.
DOH reported Tuesday morning that 141 have been hospitalized in Pinellas, which includes 127 residents and 14 nonresidents. About 22% people with confirmed cases have been hospitalized. Of those hospitalized, 73% were white, 19% black, 5% other and 2% unknown. DOH says 4% were Hispanic.
Local hospitals reported nearly 43% available bed capacity on Wednesday night with 34% capacity for adult ICU beds.
“Hospitalizations is a count of all laboratory-confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness,” DOH said. “These people may no longer be hospitalized. This number does not represent the number of COVID-19 positive persons currently hospitalized. We do not have a figure for that information at this time.”
As of Wednesday night, 11,187 people had been tested for the coronavirus in Pinellas with 10,567 testing negative. Nine tests were inconclusive and results were pending for 91. DOH said 6% of test results were coming back as positive.
Large percentage of cases in St. Petersburg
DOH provided updated and revised information on the city of residence for 600 of the cases in Pinellas on Wednesday night. St. Petersburg has the most with 176 cases (27% of 641), 105 are Clearwater residents, 82 from Largo, 78 from Seminole, 43 from Palm Harbor, 28 from Tarpon Springs, 19 from Pinellas Park, 18 from Dunedin, nine from Clearwater Beach, eight from Safety Harbor, seven from Oldsmar, five from Indian Rocks Beach, three each from Belleair, Gulfport, Kenneth City and Madeira Beach, two each from Bay Pines, Belleair Beach, and Belleair Bluffs, and one each from North Redington Beach, Crystal Beach, Treasure Island and South Pasadena.
Cases numbers growing at long-term care facilities
DOH reported 137 cases in residents and staff in long-term care facilities as of Wednesday night: five more than the number reported this morning. The numbers are cumulative since March 2 and do not reflect current infections. At least one case has been reported at 23 facilities, two more than yesterday. Multiple cases have been reported from Freedom Square Seminole Nursing Pavilion and St. Marks Village in Palm Harbor. Cases in long-term care facilities make up 21% of the 641.
COVID-19 death count on the rise
DOH reported two more deaths due to the coronavirus in Pinellas on Wednesday night, bringing the death toll to 21. Both were men. Ages were 90 and 75. DOH reported on Wednesday morning that a 90-year-old woman had died.
Of the 21 deaths confirmed as of April 22, 19 were white and one was Hispanic and information was unavailable for one.
Five deaths have been confirmed so far this week. Two were also reported on April 21: a 79-year-old man and a 96-year-old woman. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the woman was a former patient at Freedom Square Seminole Nursing Pavilion.
Two deaths were reported on April 17. One was an 84-year-old woman, and the second was a 66-year-old man. Both had been patients at Freedom Square Seminole Nursing Pavilion.
Freedom Square sent out a press release April 17 confirming the deaths and also reported that a third patient, a 74-year-old man had died on April 11.
DOH reported on April 14 that an 80-year-old man who had traveled to New York had died due to the coronavirus.
Five deaths were reported from April 7-11. DOH reported the death of a 74-year-old man on April 11 (Freedom Square Seminole Nursing Pavilion patient). Two deaths were reported on April 10, a 78-year-old woman who had traveled to Washington, D.C. and in Florida, and a 75-year-old man who had traveled to New York.
DOH reported the death of a 56-year-old woman on April 8 and a 76-year-old woman on April 7. Neither was travel-related.
The county’s first death attributed to the coronavirus reported on March 23 was a 52-year-old male. He had traveled to Bulgaria, Germany and Utah. The county’s second travel-related death was an 82-year-old man who had traveled to Ohio and in Florida.
The six other deaths were not travel-related and include two women: a 40-year-old, the youngest victim so far, and an 83-year-old. The rest were men, ages 85, 67, 64 and 58.
Local state of emergency extended
Pinellas County extended its local state of emergency and “safer-at-home” order on April 21, making it effective through May 1. Beaches and pools will remain closed. All nonessential businesses will remain closed. For more information, visit pinellascounty.org/emergency/covid19/FAQ-Stay-at-Home-Order.pdf.
The county Emergency Operations Center is working at a Level 1 virtual activation. Visit www.pinellascounty.org/emergency/covid19/default.htm for the latest updates.
State cases number more than 28,500
The number of confirmed cases in Florida residents was up to 27,791 on Wednesday night. Another 785 cases were reported in non-residents, bringing the state’s total to 28,576 —267 more than the number reported this morning and 707 more than what DOH reported Tuesday night.
The numbers are cumulative going back to March 4. DOH has not provided information on how many people have recovered.
The number of deaths in Florida increased to 927, which is 34 more than the number reported this morning and 60 more than what DOH reported on last night. DOH reports that 4,455 have been hospitalized statewide.
As of Wednesday night, 292,636 had been tested statewide with 263,468 testing negative. DOH says almost 10% of tests results have been positive.
Of the 28,576 statewide cases, 1,645 were travel-related, 8,506 had contact with a confirmed case, 1,405 had travel and contact with a confirmed case and 16,235 were under investigation.
Florida is under a stay-at-home order that remains in effect until April 30.
National cases top 840,000
According to information from Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, posted at 6 p.m. Wednesday, cases of the coronavirus in the United States were up to 840,340 with 46,560 deaths compared 826,248 with 45,153 deaths reported at 1:30 p.m. The number of global cases increased to 2,622,273 with 182,943 deaths compared to 2,594,724 with 179,778 deaths this afternoon
For more information on the coronavirus, visit www.floridahealth.gov/index.html. If you think you might need to be tested, contact your health provider, or call the state DOH’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-866-779-6121 or the Pinellas County DOH’s hotline at 727-824-6900. Both numbers are open 24/7.
