Drew Dixon
Jacksonville’s coronavirus case count Friday shattered previous records.
Duval County tallied 175 new cases Thursday, according to a Florida Department of Health report Friday. The count rose from 2,309 on Wednesday to 2,484 Thursday. Deaths remained at 60 while hospitalizations rose from 322 to 326.
“I have always said this virus spreads person to person. I have always said that we should be social distancing and wearing masks,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said Friday. “As we are seeing right now, without these precautions, the community spread is real. For example, there are people in crowded bars and walking on crowded streets who are not wearing masks and ignoring social distancing.”
The jump in Jacksonville figures mirrors the huge spike in Florida over the past week with Friday bringing the biggest jump on record at 3,822.
Jacksonville’s positivity rate is also on the rise. Of tests reported Thursday, 8% were positive. Early in the month that rate was less than 2%.
“A large portion of the increased cases we are seeing are from what’s called ‘household spread.’ That means one individual is taking this virus home and spreading it through the entire household,” Curry said. “With that in mind and with this increase in positive cases, it is imperative that people take personal responsibility and precautions as I have said from the very beginning. ”
Curry urged Jacksonville residents to practice social distancing, wear masks and wash hands frequently. Anyone who tests positive, he said, should self isolate for at least 14 days.
Elsewhere on the First Coast, St. Johns County saw an increase of 33 cases, a notable jump for a county with less than 500,000 residents. The county has now reported 398 cases.
St. Johns also saw a dramatic spike in positive test results, increasing to 7.9%. Two weeks ago that figure was at 1.3%. There were no new deaths and seven new hospitalizations, for a total of 56.
Clay, Baker and Nassau counties showed slight increases in case counts but remained unchanged in other figures.
Across the five-county Northeast Florida region, the number of cases jumped from 3,262 Wednesday to 3,490 Thursday. Deaths were unchanged at 104 and hospitalizations inched up from 498 Wednesday to 506 Thursday.
Statewide, there are now 89,748 reported cases, 3,104 deaths and 12,774 hospitalizations.
