19 more COVID-19 related deaths reported in Jacksonville, bringing total to 471

State has reported over 726K cases of coronavirus since pandemic hit Florida in March

A worker prepares a collection tube during COVID-19 tests for first responders, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, at Hialeah Fire Station #1, in Hialeah, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida added 170 coronavirus-related deaths in data released Thursday by the state health department. That pushed Florida’s total to 15,254 deaths of residents and non-residents since the pandemic began.

Of the Florida resident deaths reported Thursday, just 42 happened in the last 30 days. The other 122 resident deaths are more than a month old, data shows.

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Florida ranks 12th per capita among states for COVID-19 related deaths.

There were 27 Northeast Florida deaths reported Thursday, including 19 in Jacksonville. Duval County has now reported 471 COVID-19 related deaths over the last seven months.

Eleven of the 19 deaths reported Thursday for Duval County were first reported as coronavirus cases to the state in July and one of the cases was first reported in May. Another three of the deaths were first reported to the state as COVID-19 cases in the last eight days.

The local deaths added Thursday included a 38-year-old man who had traveled to El Salvador, just the sixth Duval County death of someone under 40 years old.

The average age of the deaths reported Thursday in Jacksonville was just over 71 years old.

About 40% of the coronavirus-related deaths in Florida over the last seven months have been connected to long-term care facilities. A separate Department of Health report indicated that almost all of the deaths involved residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, with about 70 involving staff members.

The Department of Health’s report Thursday showed an increase of 3,306 cases statewide, the highest one-day increase since Sept. 19, records show.

Florida vs. Duval County daily case increases from June-present:

Over the previous 14 days, Florida’s average daily increase for coronavirus cases has been right around 2,300. The state hasn’t consistently seen increases that low since before the mid-summer spike began in mid-late June.

On many days in July, there were more than 12,000 cases added to the state’s total. New cases, positivity rates, hospitalizations and deaths have been on a downward trend for several weeks.

In metro Jacksonville, case growth and positivity rates are generally lower. Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau, Alachua and Putnam counties all posted positivity rates below 5% on Wednesday, the state’s report showed.

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

The Associated Press contributed to this report.