Jacksonville adds record-breaking 211 new cases of coronavirus

Jacksonville’s coronavirus case count continued a record-setting trajectory for the third day in a row Saturday.

The Florida Department of Health’s figures show a total of 2,695  cases, up 211 from Thursday to Friday.

Duval County also continues to reflect the wild spike happening both locally and statewide. Thursday’s cases in Jacksonville jumped 175 from Wednesday, which was the first time the city saw a triple digit increase.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry blamed much of the increase on “household spread” where those not observing precautions for coronavirus bring the illness home.

Huge demand for testing in Jacksonville also reflects the increase in cases recorded. The main free testing site in Lot J outside TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville has been backed up with long lines of vehicles waiting sometimes for hours to get tested.

The positivity rate in Jacksonville is also on the rise. Thursday’s figures showed an 8% positive return rate on tests, Friday’s test results increased to a 10% positive rate.

In other areas of the First Coast, St. Johns County also showed a trend of notable increased cases. Friday’s figures show St. Johns County had 433 total cases, up by 35 from Thursday’s figure. Clay, Nassau and Baker counties showed slight upticks.

Across the Northeast Florida region, there are now 3,759 cases of coronavirus in the five-county area. There was no change in the death toll in any county and hospitalizations changed little.

In Florida, there are now 93,797 cases, 4,049 deaths and 12,939 hospitalized.