Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
After weeks of staying steady at 28 reported cases of COVID-19 – the disease caused by the coronavirus – the Florida Department of Health in Jefferson County (FDOH-Jefferson) reported two changes last week.
First came the notification of two new cases on Thursday, May 21, one a 31-year-old woman and the second a 51-year-old man, bringing the total to 30.
The department, however, soon after revised the number to 29, saying that one of the two new cases had been reassigned to the county of residence. The department did not identify which of the two cases had been resigned or to what county of residence.
On Saturday, May 23, the FDOH-Jefferson reported the death of a 76-year-old man who had previously been diagnosed with COVID-19.
“We would like to express our condolences to his family and loved ones,” said Pam Beck-Gilleland, public information officer for the FDOH-Jefferson. She added that the newly diagnosed COVID-19 patient was in isolation and receiving the appropriate medical care.
Per the FDOH statistics for Jefferson County, 591 individuals had been tested for the virus as of Memorial Day, of which 29 had tested positive and 561 had tested negative. The ages of those infected range from 22 to 95 years of age, with 66 being the median age.
Of the 29 COVID-19 cases, seven are being treated in hospitals.
The FDOH-Jefferson will continue its community-based testing initiative through the end of May. The department's stated goal is to test at least two percent of the county's population by Sunday, May 31.
As of Monday, May 25, Florida had 51,746 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of which 9,424 were in hospitals and 2,252 had resulted in death. Statewide, 909,928 people had been tested, with 856,489 showing negative and 51,746 positive.
Nationally, the figures were 1,662,768 confirmed cases and 98,223 deaths.