First positive test for Perdido Key; Escambia cases double

First positive test for Perdido Key; Escambia cases double
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) announced the first positive coronavirus test for Perdido Key resident on Monday evening, as positive cases in Escambia County jumped to 81, with 54 of the positive tests occurring in Pensacola. Bellview also saw its first positive test on Monday. State officials often do not immediately log all local cases. So, local cases may increase significantly in the next few days. Sacred Heart reported 99 positive tests at its drive-thru locations in Pensacola and Brownsville in the first two weeks of testing, representing five percent of the 2,276 people tested.
The DOH reported 14 more positive cases in Santa Rosa County on Monday and the death of a second patient, an 81-year-old woman who had traveled recently to Indiana. A 71-year-old county resident was among the first reported deaths in the state.
As of Monday, the DOH reported 5,704 cases and 71 deaths in Florida, including 215 non-residents.
An analysis by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington projects that the number of COVID-19 deaths per day in Florida will peak on May 3 at174. According to that same study, the ICU bed shortage is projected to begin on April 16 and last until May 16.