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Florida Department of Health releases information on COVID-19 cases reported in Leon County

All 3 of the latest patients traveled to Georgia
Posted at 11:34 AM, Mar 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-19 16:12:24-04

LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — The Florida Department of Health has released additional details about the three coronavirus cases reported in Leon County.

So far, state health officials have listed four coronavirus cases under Leon County. According to the FDOH's updated report Thursday morning, two of the cases were confirmed locally.

Two of the cases stem from a 58-year-old woman and a 55-year-old man, both of whom had been to Georgia before testing positive for COVID-19. Both of those patients, who are still alive, were confirmed to have had contact with someone who had coronavirus before they tested positive.

While FDOH did not explicitly state in their report that these cases are connected, Capital Regional Medical Center reported late Wednesday night that two patients who went into one of their stand-alone emergency rooms later tested positive for COVID-19.

CRMC says one of those patients was hospitalized for treatment, while the other was discharged and told to self-quarantine, per CDC guidance.

Minutes before CRMC reported their cases Wednesday night, Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare also confirmed that a patient they were treated tested positive for COVID-19 after they died.

FDOH confirms that patient was a 48-year-old woman who also recently traveled to Georgia. It's unknown if the woman, who is not from Leon County, had contact with a COVID-19 positive person before her death.

The last case, which ABC 27 reported earlier this week, was a 59-year-old Leon County woman who had recently traveled to Japan. The woman is being isolated in another state and it is unknown if she had contact with a COVID-19 positive person before she also tested positive.

State health officials did not confirm which part of Georgia each patient visited before contracting COVID-19 saying, "No further details about these cases will be shared to protect patient privacy."

For the latest from FDOH, click here.

The best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are:

- Wash your hands often.
- Avoid close contact with others.
- Cover coughs and sneezes.
- Stay home if you're sick.
- Wear a facemask if your're sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently-touched surfaces daily.