Health officials on Tuesday confirmed the first three deaths in Suwannee County related to covid-19.
A 77-year-old woman and two 74-year-old men died due to the illness, according to a press release from the Florida Department of Health in Suwannee County. It is not clear if they were patients at Suwannee Health and Rehabilitation Center, site of at least 51 coronavirus infections according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The cause of death is pending review by the medical examiner, health department officials said.
In a separate release, officials said seven more cases of covid-19 have been confirmed in Suwannee County, bringing the total to 75.
The new cases are a 90-year-old woman, 93-year-old woman, an 86-year-old woman, a 71-year-old woman, an 88-year-old man, a 62-year-old woman and a 74-year old-man.
Five of the seven are connected to a previous case, the release said.
As Suwannee County sees an increasing number of confirmed cases, DOH-Suwannee Administrator Kerry S. Waldron emphasized the importance of mitigation practices in preventing the spread of the virus.
“If we work together using smart mitigation practices, we can reduce covid-19’s impact on our community,” Waldron said in the release. “We must practice social distancing, stay home when sick, frequently wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, cover coughs and sneezes, and follow CDC prevention guidelines to stop the spread of the virus.”
Waldron stressed it is imperative to limit unnecessary trips and remain at home.
According to data compiled by state health officials, 366 people in Suwannee County have been tested for the virus to date, 291 of which came back negative.
Roughly 6 percent of the tests conducted in Columbia County came back positive — 424 negatives compared to 28 positives.
Statewide, 205,413 people in Florida underwent tests as of Tuesday afternoon, with a little more than 10 percent — 21,367 people — coming back positive.
Among the youngest confirmed carriers reported in the region are a 1-year-old in Columbia County, a 2-year-old in Alachua County and a 5 year old in Suwannee County,
It has infected an employee at Columbia Correctional Institution, a firefighter with Columbia County Fire Rescue, a Lake City Police Department officer, an employee at Niblack Elementary School, staff members at Suwannee Health and Rehabilitation Center and Republican congressman Neal Dunn, who represents a large swath of North Florida.
Statewide, Florida had more than 21,000 confirmed cases as of Tuesday. For comparison, that’s about twice the number of confirmed cases in the entire country of South Korea, which has a population of 51.64 million versus 21.48 million in Florida.
Florida reported 524 deaths as of that time. New York had the highest number of deaths, with more than 10,800.