COVID-19 positivity rate in Leon County jumps to 20%, eclipsing statewide percentage

Christopher Cann, Tallahassee Democrat
·2 min read

COVID-19 cases in Leon County have well surpassed 1,000 per week, while hospitalizations remain comparably steady.

Between June 10-16, there were 1,880 new infections in Leon County and the positivity rate was 20%, surpassing the statewide positivity rate of 17%, according to a bi-weekly report from the Florida Department of Health.

Two weeks earlier, DOH reported 911 new infections and a 16.5% positivity rate in the capital county.

Since March 2020, Leon County has recorded a cumulative total of 90,697 cases.

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Tuesday, April 7, 2020.
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

As of Tuesday morning, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare had 13 patients, said spokesperson Morgan King. Six cases, however, were considered "incidental," meaning they are being treated primarily for other illnesses or injuries.

HCA Florida Capital Hospital — formerly known as Capital Regional Medical Center — had 12 patients infected with the virus as of Tuesday morning, said HCA spokesperson Rachel Stiles.

Less than two weeks earlier, TMH had 11 infected patients and HCA Florida Capital hospital had five COVID-positive patients.

Capital Regional Medical Center unveiled a new sign after changing its name to HCA Florida Capital, Thursday, March 3, 2022.
Capital Regional Medical Center unveiled a new sign after changing its name to HCA Florida Capital, Thursday, March 3, 2022.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes Leon County as having a medium risk of community prevalence. That means the CDC recommends that residents stay up to date on case numbers.

Most of Florida's counties are considered high risk by the CDC, which recommends wearing face masks while in public indoor spaces in such counties.

Nurses work at computer stations in the hallway of the yellow level COVID unit at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. The staff work in the hallways outside of patients' rooms so that they can monitor their oxygen supplies and attend to their needs quicker.
Nurses work at computer stations in the hallway of the yellow level COVID unit at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. The staff work in the hallways outside of patients' rooms so that they can monitor their oxygen supplies and attend to their needs quicker.

The Sunshine State recorded 74,323 infections statewide between June 10-16 — 3.5% more than the June 3 report. The state has also recorded more than 6.3 million infections since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.

The total COVID-related death count statewide is 75,096, as DOH disclosed another 506 deaths in its latest report.

Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: COVID-19 cases in Leon County increase, positivity rate at 20 percent