First Coast counties decrease COVID-19 positive test rates

Roadblock at Jacksonville city traffic sign. Lockdown in the United States conceptual 3D rendering
Northeast Florida still added 790 new cases of coronavirus Saturday.

While the rate of positive test results is beginning to slow, the five-county First Coast region added 790 new cases of coronavirus in one day, according to data released Sunday by the Florida Department of Health.

Jacksonville — with the highest population in the area — led the way again with 577 new cases of COVID-19 by the end of Saturday, bringing the total cases to 12,964. Jacksonville also recorded five further deaths attributed to the illness, which now stands at 81.

Meanwhile, for the first time in several weeks, Jacksonville’s positivity rate for all tests administered dropped below 10%. Some 9.4% of the 5,511 people taking the exam returned with positive results, according to Saturday’s figures. That’s also more than half the record positivity rate that Jacksonville set just four days ago on Thursday when 21.1% of all tests administered in Duval County returned positive.

St. Johns County also showed some slowing of positive test results. St. Johns had 55 new cases of coronavirus Saturday, now totaling 1,843. But St. Johns recorded a 6.6% positive test result rate, also the lowest for that county in weeks. That figure is also more than half the record high positivity rate set Thursday in St. Johns County, which was 15.2%.

Clay County saw 105 new cases of COVID-10, for 1,508 total. Clay was another Northeast Florida county witnessing a downturn in the positivity test rate — 6.3% on Saturday, the lowest figure in weeks, and about one-third of the county’s record high positivity test result figure of 20% set Thursday.

Other Northeast Florida counties saw modest changes: Nassau County added 42 cases, and Baker County showing 11 new cases.

Across the First Coast, there are now 16,901 total cases, with 135 fatalities, and 701 hospitalizations attributed to the illness.

Florida now has 269,811 total cases of coronavirus, 4,242 fatalities, and 18,271 hospitalizations.

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Editor’s note on methodology: The Florida Department of Health releases new data every morning around 10:45 a.m. The total number reported in those daily reports include the previous day’s totals as well as the most up to date data as of about 9:30 a.m.

Florida Politics uses the report-over-report increase to document the number of new cases each day because it represents the most up-to-date data available. Some of the more specific data, including positivity rates and demographics, consider a different data set that includes only cases reported the previous day.

This is important to note because the DOH report lists different daily totals than our methodology to show day-over-day trends. Their numbers do not include nonresidents who tested positive in the state, and they only include single-day data; therefore, some data in the DOH report may appear lower than what we report.

Our methodology was established based on careful consideration among our editorial staff to capture both the most recent and accurate trends.

Drew Dixon

Drew Dixon is a journalist of 40 years who has reported in print and broadcast throughout Florida, starting in Ohio in the 1980s. He is also an adjunct professor of philosophy and ethics at three colleges, Jacksonville University, University of North Florida and Florida State College at Jacksonville. You can reach him at [email protected].


2 comments

  • Marguerite ustin

    July 12, 2020 at 11:24 pm

    Please please do not use such misleading headline to us.
    POSITIVITY RATE IS DE SANTIS TAKES TOTAL DAILY TESTS AND USES PERCENT POSITIVE. USELESS INFORMATION.HE TOTALLY CONTROLS NUMBER OF DAILY TESTS WHERE WHEN HOW MANY.FOOLING ALL REPORTERS TRICKING THEM.
    HE DOESTROGEN MORE TESTING ONE DAY A LOT….SO CAN SAY THAT DAY DECLINING.HE PULLS THIS TRICK EVERY FEW DAYS.

    ONLY THING IMPORTANT IS HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS BOTH SKYROCKETING STRAIGHT UP 4 WEEKS TIL NOW FULL HOSPITALS DEATHS 500 OR 600 EVERY 3 DAYS AND GETTING WORSE.

    STOP STOP STOP FILLING YOUR POSTS WITH HIS DELIBERATE MANTRA TO TRICK YOU AND THEN YOU ALL FILL ARTICLES FULL OF HIS CRAP WHILE HE AVOIDS HOSPITALS ARE FULL FULL FULL WITH 43 PERCENT AGE HE LIES SAYS DONT GET AS SICK ARE IN ICU BEDS PER HOSPITALS!!?? AND HIS ONGOING PURE CRAP ABT PROTECTING VULNERABLE SENIORS WHILE HE OPENED TOO EARLY BY CHEATING EXPOSING MILLIONS TO MILLIONS OF WALKING AROUND INFECTED NO MASKS.57 PERCENT IN HOSPITALS ARE OVER 65 AND DYING. DEATH NUMBERS WHEN LAST 3 WEEKS OF HUGE ICU HOSPITALIZATIONS HAPPEN IN NEXT FEW WEEKS WILL BE ASTRONOMINAL AND WORST THING IS HE’S CONTINUING TO DO NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING AT ALL TO SLOW VIRUS IF EVEN POSSIBLE AT THIS CATROSPHIC POINT,

    PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW INFO NOT FAKE HEADLINES LIKE THIS DE SANTIS MANIPULATES AVOIDING WHAT MATTERS.

    TO DO GOOD REPORTING PLEASE PLEASE IF GOING TO PRINT HIS TRICK CRAP ABOUT POSITIVITY END WITH THE SENTENCE PLS PLS …THAT IT’S BASED DAILY ON NUMBER OF TESTS DE SANTIS ALLOWS DAILY AND HE JUST TAKES PERCENT THAT’S POSITIVE.SO IF HE WANTS RATE LOOK LOWER EVERY FEWTN DAYS HE SCHEDULES MORE TESTING TO FOOL MEDIA AND FLORIDA.

    Pls pls stop quoting the same old mantra crap that is fake not important he keeps saying because you all keep putting it out there.

    HOSPITALIZATIONS DEATHS……THAT’S ALL PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW TO SEE DRASTIC CONDITIONS OF FLORIDA NOW WORSE RECORD IN WORLD AND NO END IN SIGHT.PEOPLE NEED TRUTH NOT DE SANTIS MANTRA ABT CASEVERYTHING TOTALS. YOUR HOMEWORK EASILY WOULD SHOW HOSPITALIZATIONS DEATHS EXPLODED LAST 4 WEEKS GOING UP UP UP. THAT’S HEADLINE.

    AND HE PLANS NOW DUMP SEVERELY SICK ALL AGESTATE OVERFLOW IN UNSANITARY BUILDINGS ALL OVER FLORIDA AND NOT ENOUGH MEDICAL STAFF FOR THAT HOSPITALS ALL SAYING.DE SANTIS SAYS SENDING 900 NURSES.MEDIA BUYS THAT.BUT BUT BUT HOSPITALS SAY NOT NEARLY ENOUGH NEED MANY MANY THOUSANDS WON’T GET THEM.
    THE CONDITION IN FLORIDA IS SO DIRE THAT IT’S TOTAL APOPLECTIC COMING IN NEXT 2 WEEKS.DE SANTIS SHOULD BE RUN OUT OF TOWN FOR BEING SO COMPLETELY SOULLESS AND SUCH A CORRUPT INHUMANE SATANIC ARROGANT A,,HOLE THAT IS COMPLETELY DESTROYING FLORIDA IT TOO LATE NOW.

    SCHOOL KIDS WILL DIE.1000 PLUS KISS SICK MANY DEAD NOW. HE’S PAST EVIL.THE ECONOMY IS CLOSING ANYWAY. TOP MANY ADDING 5000 A DAY IS REFLECTED IN HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS …NOT IN FAKE MANIPULATED USELESS POSITIVITY RATE.

    THIS FAKE RULE IS TRICK HE WROTE IN HIS OPEN PHASE RULES IF YOU LOOK IT UP.HE’S BEEN DOING IT SINCE APRIL and JONES CAUGHT HIM. 3 monthstates you all don’t get wise to what positivity rate is and how he in humanely controls it.
    IT’S FULL HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS. PERIOD,AND THAT’S BECAUSE HE WON’T MANDATE MASKS LOCKDOWN STRICT RIGHT NOW 5 WEEKS. IT’S TOO LATE NOW ANYWAY.FAUCI TOLD HIM SPECIALLY 3 WEEKS AGO HE HAD TO DO DRASTIC ACTION AND HE WOULDNT AND WONT.

    LOCAL LEADERS DIDNT DO IT.HAD TO BE STATE MANDATES.HE’S EXCUSES EXCUSES AND HAS NO CONSCIENCE IS A SOULLESS LYING GRIM REAPER WORSE THAN TRUMP.TRUMP IS INSANE. DE SANTIS IS A DEADLY CUNNING SOULLESS INHUMANE SHELL THAT SHOULD BE DRIVEN OUT OF OFFICE RIGHT NOW.BEFORE HE KILLS OUR KIDS TOO.

  • Vern Murph

    July 13, 2020 at 6:29 am

    Dont think this is true about its lower people test has been delayed for weeks and comming back negative when they know that had the symtoms and love ones have it that tested positive so what im saying is the drive trew test sites are the ones thats telling lies about test and the truth and real test is comming from the hospitals dont trust the State Gov on this one its more people that may have covid 19 they are trying to hide that.

Comments are closed.


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