Testing continues in Taylor; still only one positive case

Posted on April 17, 2020

With one pending test result outstanding, Taylor County’s number of confirmed cases held steady at just a single case Thursday, while positive COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases in neighboring Jefferson and Madison counties continued to climb.

As 10 more local test results filtered into the Florida Department of Health’s (DOH) coronavirus system Thursday, Taylor County remained one of the lowest-infected counties in the state with just a single case.

According to figures released by the DOH at 11 a.m. Thursday, 139 people in Taylor County had been tested for coronavirus. That number was 10 more than the 129 that had been tested as of Tuesday.

Of the completed tests, 137 have returned negative for coronavirus. One test has returned positive for the virus, and one test is still pending.

Taylor County’s only positive test to date was reported on April 8 and is a 29-year-old female who resides in Taylor County. The individual is isolated and receiving care in her home.

Local DOH officials report the patient is “doing well and is checked on daily.”

All four of Taylor County’s direct neighbors — Jefferson, Madison, Dixie and Lafayette — have had at least one confirmed case.

To date, Jefferson has tested 105 people — a jump from the 73 returned tests just two days ago.

Jefferson now has the highest infection rate of Taylor County’s direct neighbors with 22 positive COVID-19 cases, surpassing Madison’s 16 cases. Three people have been hospitalized in Jefferson County.

Jefferson County was also one of the first counties in the Big Bend region to report a coronavirus-related death, as health officials say a 93-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on April 5, has died.

Madison’s confirmed cases rose by two from Tuesday, and now the county has 16 positive cases. Of the 16 positive cases, one has been hospitalized. Madison has tested 145 people.

In Dixie, 132 people have been tested, yielding three positive test results — an increase of one from the two positive cases reported Tuesday. One of the three positive cases has been hospitalized.

With 41 tests completed and zero pending tests, Lafayette has confirmed one positive coronavirus case. Aside from Taylor County, Lafayette is the only county in the area with just one confirmed case.

 Statewide, Florida has surpassed 22,897 cases as of Thursday’s 11 a.m. update. Of those 22,897, more than 3,300 have been hospitalized and 633 had died as a result of COVID-19.

The number of new cases reported in Florida each day appears to have leveled off over the past two weeks, however around 1,000 new cases are still being reported each day.

According to the most recent report issued by the DOH, the largest number of new cases reported in a single day over the past two weeks was on April 3 with 1,307 cases. Since then, the number has ranged from a low of 611 on April 14 to a high of 1,194 on April 6.

Of the seven most recent days with complete data, new positive tests have numbered: 1,059 (April 9), 1,118 (April 10), 1,085 (April 11), 837 (April 12), 971 (April 13), 611 (April 14) and 941 (April 15).

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