FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health announced on Friday night there are two presumptive positive cases of the coronavirus in Broward County and two COVID-19 patients who died in Lee and Santa Rosa counties.
The agency refers to the cases as presumptive because the Centers for Disease Control and Protection has yet to retest the patients. The two Broward County patients are in isolation, authorities said.
According to Helen Aguirre, a spokeswoman for Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Broward County men infected are ages 75 and 65, and the two people who died in Santa Rosa and Lee counties were cases related to international travel.
On Friday afternoon, Broward County authorities met at the area’s emergency center to ask the public not to panic or overreact as officials are prepared for the threat. They will be talking to reporters about the new cases on Saturday morning.
As of Saturday morning, there are 278 people “currently being monitored” for COVID-19 symptoms in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Florida public health officials are also reporting 12 positive cases: Six are Florida residents, 5 are Florida cases repatriated and one is a non-Florida resident.
For more information about the cases, the Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 call center is available 24-hours a day at 1-866-779-6121.