3 new COVID-19 cases in Escambia County, 1 in Santa Rosa bring total between both counties to 8

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Three new coronavirus cases were reported in Escambia County on Sunday, while one new case cropped up in Santa Rosa County, according to the Florida Department of Health.

On Sunday evening, the DOH updated its COVID-19 dashboard to reflect four confirmed cases in Escambia County and another four in Santa Rosa County. Escambia County previously had only one case that was reported March 16, while Santa Rosa County was at three cases as of Friday evening.

Additionally, a school administrator confirmed that a student at the Learning Academy of Santa Rosa in Milton was the 17-year-old Santa Rosa County patient announced by the state on Friday.

What we know about the patients so far

In Escambia County, the three newly confirmed patients are a 25-year-old woman, a 48-year-old man and a 51-year-old man.

The Florida Department of Health confirmed the cases of the 25-year-old and 48-year-old are not related to travel. It is unknown if the 51-year-old man's case is travel-related.

Escambia County's previously reported case was a 53-year-old man who had traveled to France.

Santa Rosa County's new case involves a 33-year-old whose gender and travel status are reported as unknown.

Santa Rosa County's first case was a 71-year-old man who died earlier this month after catching the virus on a Nile River Cruise in Egypt. The second case was a 48-year-old man who had traveled to the United Kingdom. The third case, reported Friday, was a 17-year-old boy and is not believed to be travel-related.

Santa Rosa Learning Academy student began showing symptoms around March 6

Ray Sansom, vice president of school administration at the Learning Academy of Santa Rosa in Milton, confirmed to the News Journal on Sunday that the 17-year-old patient was a student at the school.

Sansom said the student tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, on Friday. The state Department of Health in Santa Rosa County notified the Learning Academy, which notified all 131 students and 12 staff members the same day.

The student had been exhibiting symptoms as early as March 6, when school was still in session, but did not test positive until March 20, Sansom said. The teenager is the Panhandle's youngest confirmed coronavirus case.

“The health department contacted everyone personally and walked them through steps that they recommend for them to take, and they have gone over with them what the potential symptoms might be if that happens,” Sansom said.

School staff have already disinfected the school buildings and school buses, per guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sansom said they will continue cleaning and disinfecting before students physically return to school, which is scheduled to happen April 15.

Shane Kersey, whose son attended The Learning Academy until he was expelled on March 9, said he received a call from the school district and the health department on Friday stating his son may have come into contact with the affected individual.

Kersey, who lives in Milton and said he is a professional tornado hunter, said his son "feels fine" but is quarantining himself anyway.

“I am keeping him home,” Kersey said. “I’ve called Sacred Heart Hospital’s screening hotline over the phone. He’s not running a temperature and is showing no symptoms, but they said keep an eye on him until March 26 or 27.”

That date is about two weeks after the teenager began exhibiting symptoms consistent with the coronavirus, Kersey said he was told by the health department. It is believed the virus has an incubation period of up to two weeks.

The Department of Health in Santa Rosa County did not immediately return the News Journal's request for comment Sunday.

Santa Rosa County School District Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick said he would not comment on the situation, deferring comments to the Department of Health.

COVID-19 cases continue to climb across the state, but South Florida is hardest hit

From Saturday evening to Sunday evening, the total number of cases in the state jumped from 763 to 1,007. The numbers of deaths ticked up from 12 to 13.

A total of 927 Florida residents and 70 are non-residents have been infected, the DOH reported. As of Sunday evening, 10,338 people had been tested and 1,147 were under monitoring.

Many of the new cases were confirmed in Dade and Broward counties, whose combined 445 cases account for more than 40% of the state total.

By comparison, the disease's spread in the Panhandle was been fairly limited.

As of Sunday evening, nearby Okaloosa County had 14 confirmed cases, and Escambia, Santa Rosa and Walton counties each had four confirmed cases, representing about 1.3% of the state's total.

Kevin Robinson can be reached at krobinson4@pnj.com or 850-435-8527.