Coronavirus in Jacksonville: Live updates for Thursday
The latest news and information on the coronavirus.
The 120-bed nursing and rehabilitation center has seen the number of cases grow over the past two weeks. The center’s residents and staff underwent widespread testing last week to get a fuller understanding of how much the virus had spread in order to focus efforts on stopping further infections.
Florida Department of Health statistics through 10 a.m. Thursday show Baker County has had 11 positive cases of the novel coronavirus, all among residents of Macclenny.
COMPLETE COVERAGE | Coronavirus in Florida
Baker County Commissioner James Bennett said Thursday he understands through information from the health department that 10 of the cases are from Macclenny Nursing & Rehab Center.
Jacksonville resident Billy Thornton, whose 75-year-old mother is at the nursing center, said his family was told this week that a total of 10 residents and staff members had tested positive for COVID-19.
He said his mother was not among those who tested positive when results came back from the comprehensive testing.
“We were thankful for that,” he said. “At least for the moment, it was a bit of relief.”
He said he thinks the nursing home’s management has been taking actions to halt the spread of the virus since the first resident tested positive after being transferred to the Macclenny Center from a Jacksonville hospital.
He said he understands that resident was not showing any symptoms when she was transferred, but then later became ill.
“They call it the invisible enemy,” he said. “It’s all new. I feel they are doing as much as they can with what we know.”
Florida Department of Health statistics show a broad range of ages for the COVID-19 cases in Baker County. The youngest is a 24-year-old woman and the oldest is a 97-year-old woman.
7:40 p.m. | Trump admin moves toward promoting broader use of face masks
The Trump administration is formalizing new guidance to recommend that many Americans wear face coverings in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, as the president is aggressively defending his response to the public health crisis.
The recommendations, still being finalized Thursday, were expected to apply to those who live in areas hard-hit by community transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19. A person familiar with the White House coronavirus task force’s discussion said officials would suggest that non-medical masks, T-shirts or bandannas be used to cover the nose and mouth when outside the home — for instance, at the grocery store or pharmacy. Medical-grade masks, particularly short-in-supply N95 masks, would be reserved for those dealing directly with the sick.
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