JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health on Wednesday reported 66 additional coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the state’s total to 16,775 since the pandemic began.
Seventeen of the additional deaths reported Tuesday were in Northeast Florida: 10 in Columbia County and seven in Clay County.
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On Wednesday, Florida health officials also confirmed 4,115 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 790,426 since March. Wednesday was the fourth time in a week that the number of new cases exceeded 4,000. The average daily increase in cases over the last week has been 3,984 -- the highest seven-day average since Aug. 16-22 (4,009).
In the 11 Northeast Florida counties tracked by News4Jax, 365 new cases were reported Wednesday. Of those, 108 were reported in Duval County.
Florida vs. Duval County daily cases diagnosed since June 1
Across Florida, the numbers of those testing positive -- while still way down from the state’s summertime peak -- have begun inching up over the past week.
On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said during an appearance in central Florida that he has lobbied President Donald Trump to loosen travel restrictions from critical travel markets like Brazil and Europe, in hopes of jump-starting tourism into the state’s tourist attractions and beaches.
In Jacksonville, Mayor Lenny Curry on Tuesday extended a mask mandate for another 30 days. While the proclamation carries no fines or penalties, businesses can cite the government requirement when requiring masks inside their establishments.
There were 2,336 people being treated for the disease in Florida hospitals in the late morning Wednesday, according to a state online census of hospital beds. That figure reached nearly 10,000 in late July, then declined steadily until late September when it began hovering between 2,000 and 2,200 for several weeks.
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.