Florida and Escambia County have seen a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases over the past three days. The state has reported 6,499 new cases and 83 additional cases. Escambia County has reported 41 new cases, only 8 of the new cases are associated with local nursing homes.
The testing has increased 16% – but so has the percentage of positives over the past week:
| 6/3-6/6 | 6/7-6/13 | |
| Sunday | 1.9% | 0.5% |
| Monday | 3.4% | 0.8% |
| Tuesday | 1.7% | 3.2% |
| Wednesday | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Thursday | 1.4% | 3.4% |
| Friday | 0.3% | 1.1% |
| Saturday | 0.7% | 3.1% |
The weekly count for visits to local ERs for flu-like and COVID-like illness ticked up last week after three weeks of  declines.
The Escambia Board of County Commissioners meets twice this week – Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, June 16 and Regular Meeting on Thursday, June 18. Neither meeting has an item calling for an update from the Florida Department of Health on the the COVID-19 pandemic.
NorthEscambia .com reported yesterday the DOH Escambia director, Dr. John Lanza, said the increase is due to “congregational living environments or habitats.† The commissioners and public need a more detailed explanation of the results of the department’s contract tracing.
NorthEscambia.com also has reported a staff member at Century Health and Rehabilitation ha been confirmed positive for COVID-19, according the Florida Department of Health.
On Thursday, June 11, Azalea Trace residents and family members received a letter from the facility’s executive director, Brenda Basford, that the current round of testing revealed: “To date, 8 residents and 5 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 in WillowBrooke Court. One resident is in the hospital, 5 are asymptomatic and 3 residents have mild symptoms.”
| 6/11/20 | 6/14/20 | Increase | ||
| Total Cases | 69069 | 75568 | 6499 | 9.41% |
| Florida Residents | 67456 | 73650 | 6194 | 9.18% |
| Non-Fla. | 1613 | 1918 | 305 | 18.91% |
| Deaths | 2848 | 2931 | 83 | 2.91% |
| Escambia | 944 | 985 | 41 | 4.34% |
| Okaloosa | 294 | 332 | 38 | 12.93% |
| Santa Rosa | 273 | 291 | 18 | 6.59% |
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