Suzette Porter
Florida Department of Health reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 and three more deaths in Pinellas County Thursday morning, bringing the case count to 729 and the death toll to 37.
The county’s first two COVID-19 cases were reported on March 11. The first death was confirmed on March 23.
Statewide, the cumulative number of cases increased to 33,690 with 1,268 deaths. Cases in the United States totaled 1,042,874 with 61,123 deaths. Globally, more than 3.2 million cases have been reported with 218,757 deaths.
COVID-19 cases in Pinellas include 688 Florida residents and 41 nonresidents. More cases were in females, 54%, to 46% in males. Ages range from 1-101. The median age was 56.
DOH reported Thursday morning that 218 have been hospitalized in Pinellas, which includes 204 residents and 14 nonresidents. About 30% of people with confirmed cases have been hospitalized since March.
Local hospitals reported 37% available bed capacity on Thursday morning with nearly 28% 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 Thursday morning, 14,477 people had been tested for the novel coronavirus in Pinellas, which is 1,406 than yesterday. Just over 5% of test results were positive. As of Wednesday, 10 tests were inconclusive and results were pending for 193.
Large percentage of cases in St. Petersburg
DOH provided updated and revised information on the city of residence for 669 of the cases in Pinellas on Wednesday morning. St. Petersburg has the most with 212 cases (29%), 115 are Clearwater residents, 88 from Seminole, 83 from Largo, 53 from Palm Harbor, 30 from Tarpon Springs, 23 from Pinellas Park, 18 from Dunedin, 10 from Safety Harbor, nine from Clearwater Beach, 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 at long-term care facilities
The number of cases in residents and staff in long-term care facilities was 156 as of an April 28 report. The numbers do not reflect current infections. At least one case has been reported at 21 facilities. Multiple cases have been reported from Freedom Square Seminole Nursing Pavilion and St. Marks Village in Palm Harbor. DOH has confirmed 19 deaths.
COVID-19 death count on the rise
DOH reported three additional deaths on April 30, bringing the death count to 37. DOH reports available as of Thursday morning provided no details on those deaths or the three deaths confirmed on April 29.
However, the District Six Medical Examiner’s office released six new death investigation reports that may provide the missing details.
The ME reported that a 77-year-old man had died on April 27. He had traveled to Columbia.
Four more deaths were reported from Freedom Square. A 93-year-old man died April 28. He was from Freedom Square Memory Center. Three were from Freedom Square Seminole Nursing Pavilion, including an 89-year-old man, an 80-year-old woman and a 91-year-old man. All died on April 28.
The sixth death was a 99-year-old woman who died April 28. She had been a resident at St. Mark Village in Palm Harbor.
DOH announced the death an 87-year-old man on April 27, who had been a resident at St. Mark Village in Palm Harbor, according to a report from the medical examiner’s office.
The medical examiner’s office also provided six more reports of deaths on April 27. Two of those deaths were residents of St. Mark Village, a 97-year-old man who died April 25 and a 93-year-old woman who died April 24.
Four others had been patients at Freedom Square Seminole Nursing Pavilion, including a 78-year-old man who died April 24, a 102-year-old woman (the oldest victim thus far) who died on April 25, a 94-year-old woman who died April 25 and a 98-year-old woman who died on April 27.
DOH confirmed eight COVID-19 related deaths in the county from April 21-24. The death of a 92-year-old woman was announced April 24. According to reports from the medical examiner’s office she had been a patient from Freedom Square Seminole Nursing Pavilion.
DOH reported two deaths due to the coronavirus the night of April 23. Both were men. Ages were 95 and 84. According to reports from the medical examiner’s office, the 95-year-old had been a resident of St. Mark Village in Palm Harbor and the 84-year-old man had been a patient at Freedom Square Seminole Nursing Pavilion.
Two deaths were confirmed on the night of April 22. They also were men. Ages were 90 and 75. The 75-year-old had been a patient at Freedom Square Seminole Nursing Pavilion, according to the medical examiner’s report.
DOH reported on the morning of April 22 that a 90-year-old woman had died. According to the medical examiner’s office, she had been a patient at Freedom Square Seminole Nursing Pavilion.
Two deaths were reported on April 21: a 79-year-old man and a 96-year-old woman, another patient from 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 news release April 17 confirming the deaths and also reported that another 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. All nonessential businesses will remain closed. For more information, visit pinellascounty.org/emergency/covid19/FAQ-Stay-at-Home-Order.pdf.
The commission is scheduled to meet on extending the state of emergency and safer-at-home orders on April 30, 9:30 a.m. Commissioners voted on April 28 to reopen pools on April 30 and beaches on May 4.
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 33,000
The number of confirmed cases in Florida residents was up to 32,801 on Thursday morning. Another 889 cases were reported in nonresidents, bringing the state’s total to 33, 690 — 497 more than the number reported on Wednesday.
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 1,268, which is 50 more than the number reported yesterday.
DOH reports that 5,589 have been hospitalized statewide.
As of Thursday morning, 384,153 had been tested statewide, which is 9,390 more than yesterday. DOH says 9% of results have been positive. As of Wednesday, 560 tests were inconclusive and results were pending for 1,252.
Of the 33,690 statewide cases, 1,751 were travel-related, 11,606 had contact with a confirmed case, 1,569 had travel and contact with a confirmed case and 15,815 were under investigation.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has modified his safer-at-home order, effective Monday, May 4. Many of the previous restrictions apply. Some of the changes in the new order include allowing retail establishments to open at 25% capacity. Restaurants can open their indoor dining rooms at 25% capacity and serve food and drink in outdoor areas with tables spaced 6 feet apart.
National cases top 1 million, more than 60,000 deaths
According to information from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, posted at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, cases of the coronavirus reported in the United States were up to 1,042,874 with 61,123 deaths compared 1,015,289 with 58,529 deaths reported at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday. The number of global cases increased to 3,222,107 with 228,757 deaths compared to 3,142,942 with 218,649 deaths on Wednesday 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.
