First Coast

Jacksonville Named COVID-19 Hotspot By US Health Department

WJCT News | By Bill Bortzfield

Published July 8, 2020 at 11:34 AM EDT

A line of drivers wait on Gator Bowl Blvd. to enter Lot J for COVID-19 testing in this Sunday, March 29 file photo.

Jacksonville has been added to the list of cities that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has deemed “hotspot jurisdictions.”

As a result, federal temporary surge COVID-19 testing locations have opened in Jacksonville:

First Coast Senior High School – 590 Duval Station Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32218
Frank H. Peterson Academies – 7450 Wilson Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32210
Regency Square Mall – 9501 Arlington Expressway, Jacksonville, FL 32225 (at the former Sears parking area)

Officials are recommending appointments be made online ahead of time for the three sites at DoINeedACovid19Test.com. The temporary sites are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., closing on Wednesday, July 15.

Additional details are available here.

The state of Florida's testing site located at TIAA Bank Field is also continuing to test daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Updates on the status of the testing locations, such as when they reach daily capacity, will be shared from the @FloridaPIOs Twitter account.

Visualizing The Impact Of COVID-19

This chart illustrates the number of new COVID-19 cases in Duval County between June 8 and July 7.

“Surge testing efforts will temporarily increase federal support to communities where there has been a recent and intense level of new cases and hospitalizations related to the ongoing outbreak,” the HHS wrote on its website.

Jacksonville has seen increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases in June with 601 new cases reported Tuesday, according to the Florida Department of Health.

This chart shows the age distribution of COVID-19 cases in Duval County.

At the time of this story’s publication, 10,308 Duval County residents had tested positive for COVID-19, with 70 deaths and 387 hospitalizations. The median age of those infected in Duval County is 35.

Tuesday Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced he was self-quarantining at home after being exposed to some with COVID-19 and Gov. Ron DeSantis extended Florida’s state of emergency for at least two more months.

Wednesday morning the state reported 223,783 total COVID-19 cases in Florida with 3,889 resident deaths and 102 deaths of non-residents. Hospitals across the state were treating 16,758 COVID-19 patients.

Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.