3 new cases in Alachua County, including first case of possible community transmission

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

Based on this morning’s update from the State, there are three new positive COVID-9 cases in Alachua County, including one with an “unknown” travel-related status (all cases through yesterday were travel-related).

Alachua County now has a total of 10 cases. There are 390 cases in Florida, an increase of 76 from yesterday. There have been no deaths so far in Alachua County.

Details on the new cases:

1.     A 42-year-old female. The investigation into how she contracted the disease is ongoing.

2.     A 51-year-old male who had traveled to the Bahamas.

3.     A 39-year-old female who is a Georgia resident.

The State dashboard is constantly changing the information it provides (not the numbers, which change twice a day, but the categories of information). For example, before the 11:00 a.m. update today, there were categories for number of deaths (0), average age of those infected (40-something), and how many emergency room visits and hospital admissions (3 and 2, respectively) were related to COVID-19. We’ll be watching for any additional data provided by the state or county to keep you updated.

The state site is also reporting that 140 tests have been performed in Alachua County. 96 were negative, 10 were positive, and 34 are pending.

In other news, the FDA is fast-tracking approval of hydroxychloroquine and Remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment. This offers hope for treatments in the near future for those who are sick.