Escambia and Santa Rosa COVID-19 deaths rise to 233 as nine additional deaths verified

Nine additional coronavirus deaths — including three people who were in their 30s or 40s — were reported Thursday in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, raising the cumulative deaths since the pandemic started to 233 between the two counties.

The Florida Department of Health verified six more deaths in Escambia County, all men, ages 46, 48, 64, 79 and two who were 63.

Their deaths bring Escambia County's cumulative coronavirus deaths to 180, including 170 state residents and 10 non-Florida residents. 

Escambia County on Thursday also added another 96 positive COVID-19 cases to its total, which is at 10,595.

Santa Rosa County verified three additional deaths Thursday: a 30-year-old woman, a 66-year-old woman and a 79-year-old man. The county's cumulative COVID-19 deaths are now at 53 people.

Also on Thursday, Santa Rosa County added another 38 new positive cases to raise its total to 4,341.

Of all deaths in both counties, 93 are tied to long-term care centers, including 84 in Escambia County and nine in Santa Rosa County. That accounts for about 40% of deaths in both counties.

Due to delays in reporting, figures from the state's daily report do not necessarily reflect when a person died or became infected with the virus, but rather when their case was reported by the state.

The median age of positive coronavirus cases was 39 in Escambia County and 40 in Santa Rosa County as of Thursday.

To date, 13% of the 74,185 peopled tested in Escambia County and 14% of the 30,587 people tested in Santa Rosa County have been positive for COVID-19.

Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties

The number of patients with COVID-19 being treated in Escambia County hospitals Thursday was 152, continuing the downward trend in hospitalizations seen over the last week.

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations increased drastically in July, reaching a peak of 246 on July 20. Over the last week, the numbers have started to decreased since a spike to 207 on Aug. 11.

Daily hospitalizations are reported from Ascension Sacred Heart, Baptist and West Florida hospitals directly to Escambia County and the city of Pensacola.

The state reported Thursday that Escambia County's cumulative hospitalizations — how many COVID-19 patients have been hospitalized since the start of the pandemic — was 679, an increase of 16 from the previous day.

The number of currently hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Santa Rosa County is not being compiled. Data from the Florida Department of Health shows that as of Thursday, a cumulative 241 people with COVID-19 have been hospitalized in Santa Rosa County since the pandemic began, up by three from the previous day.

Escambia County on Thursday morning had 440 available hospital beds, and Santa Rosa County had 192, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.

Of the 147 adult ICU beds in Escambia County, 18 were available, and 10 of Santa Rosa County's 18 adult ICU beds were open.

Florida verifies 117 COVID-19 deaths and 4,555 new cases 

The Florida Department of Health verified 117 additional COVID-19 deaths and 4,555 new cases Thursday.

The reported death toll for Florida residents since the pandemic began is now at 10,039.

This marks the 15th day this month that at least 100 deaths have been reported. In August, 3,206 Florida residents have been verified as having died of COVID-19 complications, just 132 fewer than the total for the entire month of July (3,338).

The seven-day average for reported COVID-19 deaths in Florida declined to 162 Thursday. 

On Thursday, the cumulative number of cases in Florida increased to 588,602. Cases increased for the third consecutive day, but Thursday still marked the fifth straight day the state reported fewer than 5,000 new cases. That hasn't occurred since June 19-23. 

Florida's seven-day average for new cases dropped to 4,495 Thursday, the lowest since June 25. However, the state's cumulative positivity rate for overall tests increased slightly to 13.56%. 

That's because Florida's recent testing slowdown continued. The state's seven-day average for new test was 69,232 through Wednesday. That's about 30,000 fewer daily tests than the state was reporting on average during the last week of July.

The number of Florida residents hospitalized with COVID-19 is 35,650 since the pandemic began. The Department of Health notes the total figure is cumulative and does not reflect the number of COVID-19 patients currently in hospitals.

Breaking down cases in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties *

• Pensacola: 7,742 cases
• Century: 889 cases
• Cantonment: 735 cases
• Molino: 119 cases
• McDavid: 58 cases
• Walnut Hill: 15 cases
• Bellview: 11 cases
• Gonzalez: 7 cases
• Perdido Key: 6 cases
• Pensacola Beach: 12 cases
• Milton: 2,375 cases
• Gulf Breeze: 637 cases
• Navarre: 526 cases
• Pace: 333 cases
• Jay: 115 cases
• Bagdad: 9 cases
• Pensacola Naval Hospital: 1 case
• Non-Florida resident: 983 cases
• Missing: 363 cases

* The Florida Department of Health is releasing the locations where confirmed cases are located to provide a broader look at areas where the virus has spread. The locations are based on ZIP code.