JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the state of Florida, many people in Jacksonville are still waiting to get their results after being tested for the virus.
The testing site in Lot J hit its limit early on Friday. In all of Duval County, including hospitals and testing sites, News4Jax has learned over 5,000 people have been tested for the novel coronavirus.
The return of test results vary from 24 hours at hospitals to over 10 days at drive-through test sites. Of those tested, about 7% came back positive. Some are being treated at Jacksonville hospitals.
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At UF Health Jacksonville, the hospital said there is enough equipment for patients and staff handling COVID-19 cases. But doctors and others have been watching the models and have seen the predictions that show Jacksonville could be hit with a spike of cases later this month and possibly additional cases in May and June.
News4Jax talked with Dr. Steven Godwin, the head of emergency medicine at UF Health, about the models. He said right now, the numbers are lower than expected.
“That changes from day to day and hour to hour,” Godwin said. “If you look at the projections, I hesitate to project from the different models that we have."
UF Health and other hospitals in the Northeast Florida area are taking steps to prepare just in case intensive care unit beds are available. Doctors at UF Health said the emergency room is operating at a normal to less-than-normal capacity.
Here is a breakdown of testing at some of the hospitals as of Friday:
- Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside: 77 tests, 10 positives
- Memorial Hospital: 12 tests, 12 positives
- Baptist Medical Center 183 tests, four positives
- UF Health: 110 tests, eight positives