Jacksonville, adjacent counties, sees the highest one-day increase in COVID-19 cases

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties all saw record increases in COVID-19 cases in Tuesday’s report from the Florida Department of Health.

The state added 15,431 new coronavirus cases and 100 COVID-related deaths on Tuesday. While this was not a record for the state, Florida has averaged more than 14,000 new cases each in the past seven days – the highest week of increases since the pandemic began in March.

There were an additional 1,331 cases in Duval County, 307 in St. Johns County, 204 in Clay County and 123 cases in Nassau County on Tuesday in the latest report from the FDOH – the highest one-day increases in those counties.

Since the start of the pandemic, the state has recorded 1,392,123 cases and 22,515 deaths related to the virus.

The statewide positivity rate based on Monday’s tests was 12.74%, the health department said Tuesday.

At 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, 7,342 people were hospitalized in Florida with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19, according to the state agency for the administration of health care.

According to the latest state vaccination data, 20,195 first doses were administered Monday, bringing the total in the state to 289,773. Most of the vaccinated Floridians are health professionals and first responders, although an increasing number of seniors are 65 or older, which the Governor has made a major target for vaccinations.

More than 82% of those who die of the disease in Florida are over the age of 65.

Florida has one of the oldest populations in the country with 4.4 million of the state’s 21 million residents aged 65 or older.

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, muscle pain, and loss of taste or smell. Most people only develop mild symptoms. But some people, usually those with other medical complications, develop more serious symptoms, including pneumonia.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.