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Gov. Ron DeSantis did not learn of a Lee County woman’s positive coronavirus test until a day after she died.

The woman, who was in her 70s and had traveled internationally, checked into a Lee County hospital Wednesday evening with lower respiratory problems, the governor’s spokeswoman Helen Ferré said Saturday.

The woman’s conditions met the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for coronavirus testing, and the hospital sent her test sample to the Florida Department of Health’s laboratory in Miami on Thursday.

Later Thursday, the woman died. Her results did not come back “presumptive positive” for the virus until Friday, however. On Friday, the Miami lab notified the hospital, which notified state officials later that evening.

The case illustrates the challenge of conveying to the public real-time information about a growing public health crisis. The Department of Health issued a news release late Friday about the woman’s death, as well the coronavirus-related death of a Santa Rosa County man — the two first such deaths in the Sunshine State.

On Saturday, the number of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, cases in Florida continued to grow as the Florida Department of Health announced it had found new cases in Charlotte, Volusia, Okaloosa, Manatee and Lee counties, meaning the virus had been found in eight of Florida’s counties to date.

The Florida Department of Health said two of the cases it had found appeared related to a river cruise on the Nile River in Egypt from Feb. 4 to Feb. 18, but did not provide more details about which cases.

DeSantis on Saturday ordered the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Saturday to activate to a Level 2, and later met with Vice President Mike Pence to discuss the virus and how to handle it with the cruise industry.

DeSantis’ predecessor, now-U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, criticized DeSantis’ communication about the crisis.

“I was a little surprised — I was very surprised, actually — when I heard about the death in Lee County, which is adjoining to the county I live in,” Scott, a Naples resident, said on Fox News. “We didn’t know there was even a presumptive case.”

Scott was among several officials who met with Pence and DeSantis in Ft. Lauderdale later on Saturday afternoon.

DeSantis and Pence stressed people should follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect themselves from the virus and discussed partnering with the cruise line industry to slow the rate of new cases in that industry.

“While the risk to the average American of contracting the coronavirus remains low, it is essential that we find ways to mitigate that risk to prevent the spread of the coronavirus,” Pence said.

DeSantis’ order to the Division of Emergency Management to activate to Level 2 was meant to provide more support to the state’s Department of Health and to county health departments.

A Level 2 is a partial activation of the state’s emergency response team by bringing together staff from several different agencies for better collaboration. It is less than a Level 1 full-scale activation and is not rare or unprecedented; for instance, the Division of Emergency Management went to a Level 2 for the Super Bowl.

Some Democratic lawmakers had wondered earlier this week why the Division of Emergency Management had not been included in the response to the virus. The division’s director, Jared Moskowitz, a former Democratic state House member, had not been at any of DeSantis’ press conferences about the virus’ response this week.

DeSantis earlier this week declared a public health emergency in response to reports of coronavirus cases in the Sunshine State. The governor has requested $25 million from the state legislature for the Florida Department of Health to boost its response to the outbreak.

Worries about the coronavirus also continue to crop up in event cancellations and other changes. On Saturday, the AFL-CIO announced that it was canceling its presidential forum that it had planned for Thursday in Orlando, citing the ongoing outbreak. Presidential frontrunners Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders had been expected to attend ahead of Florida’s March 17 presidential preference primary.

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Tampa Bay Times coronavirus guide

Q&A: The latest and all your questions answered.

PROTECT YOURSELF: Household cleaners can kill the virus on most surfaces, including your phone screen.

BE PREPARED: Guidelines for essentials to keep in your home should you have to stay inside.

FACE MASKS: They offer some protection, but studies debate their effectiveness.

WORKPLACE RISK: A list of five things employers could be doing to help curb the spread of the disease.

READER BEWARE: Look out for bad information as false claims are spreading online.

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