Here is a link to many coronavirus resources
According to the Florida Department of Health website, updated Friday morning, there are now more than 24,100 positive coronavirus cases in the state. That’s an increase of about 1,200 over Thursday morning. It’s the largest one-day increase in nearly two weeks. 686 people have died in Florida, that’s up by more than 50 from Thursday. More than 3,500 people are hospitalized, which is a number that continues to grow.
Here’s the county-by-county breakdown of the number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus in the Tampa Bay area:
In Hillsborough, there are 917 (with 18 deaths), in Pinellas 5557 (with 15 deaths). The most deaths in the Tampa Bay area are in Manatee County with 20 deaths and 314 positive cases. 269 people have tested positive in Sarasota (with 18 deaths), 128 in Charlotte, (with 7 deaths), 193 in Pasco (with 3 deaths), 79 in Hernando (with 2 deaths), 82 in Citrus (with 8 deaths) and 311 in Polk (with 11 deaths).
Here are the three Tampa Bay area zip codes with the most positive cases of coronavirus. In Manatee County, 66 people have tested positive in zip code 34208, which includes parts of Bradenton, Ellenton and south Bradenton. Also in Manatee, 42 people have tested positive in 34221, which includes parts of Palmetto, Bradenton and West Bradenton, and in Hillsborough County’s 33647, which includes parts of Tampa, Lutz and University, there have been 41 positive cases.
According to the CDC, there have been more than 33,000 coronavirus deaths in the U.S. that’s an increase of 6,000 since Thursday. There are now more than 661,000 positive COVID-19 cases in the country, nearly 30,000 more than Thursday.
Listen to the 5:30 p.m. WMNF News headlines for 17 April 2020:
Listen to the 4:30 p.m. WMNF News headlines for 17 April 2020:
Listen to the 3:30 p.m. WMNF News headlines for 17 April 2020:
Below is a news release from the Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center, strongly recommending wearing face coverings:
Hillsborough County Strongly Recommends Wearing Face Coverings Simple, effective action can serve as personal contribution to help stop the spread of COVID-19
COVID-19 Coronavirus Update No. 73
Hillsborough County, Fla. (April 17, 2020) – Hillsborough County is urging residents to protect themselves by wearing face coverings when in community settings. In addition to maintaining 6-foot social distancing and limiting the size of gatherings, the Centers for Disease Control (https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2F&data=02%7C01%7CSean%40wmnf.org%7C9fa18df1ac094f05f2cb08d7e2fce3cf%7Ceff8000820724c42b3fe736c3260d23f%7C0%7C0%7C637227448093808436&sdata=ZESGxv0auzxPQwzNLJO1zLBws7yOElzGxXFVgvXI04A%3D&reserved=0)
advises the use of face coverings to help slow the spread of the virus.
Medical grade masks are not needed for the general public and should be reserved for healthcare professionals. Simple cloth face coverings can be fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost. For a video about how to make a simple cloth face mask, go to Hillsborough County’s Official YouTube Channel (https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DyRt4an99Oqo&data=02%7C01%7CSean%40wmnf.org%7C9fa18df1ac094f05f2cb08d7e2fce3cf%7Ceff8000820724c42b3fe736c3260d23f%7C0%7C0%7C637227448093808436&sdata=uF4ePC0QM79rMmlUCRallzs4UlmP%2FYhd9hhFZkLuBPI%3D&reserved=0).
Cloth face coverings should not be placed on children 2 years old and under or people who have trouble breathing.
Other Hillsborough County News
Keeping people and pets protected. Mercy Full Projects donated hand-made facemasks for those dedicated to the care and adoption of our community’s pets at the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center. Check out this video on Hillsborough County’s YouTube site (https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbNUlHlc8-VU%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&data=02%7C01%7CSean%40wmnf.org%7C9fa18df1ac094f05f2cb08d7e2fce3cf%7Ceff8000820724c42b3fe736c3260d23f%7C0%7C0%7C637227448093808436&sdata=AtLA0VudgmQY8V0dGdLn6Gr5FfEBQxc6D8xZFQ6sCw8%3D&reserved=0).
Water conservation is more important than ever. With more people staying home, domestic water use is likely to soar unless residents conserve the resource, especially outdoors. Another incentive to save: water and sewer bills will be lower. Find current year-round water use restrictions and conservation tips at HCFLGov.net/WaterConservation.
Free Remote Tax Prep Assistance for Hillsborough County Residents.
Hillsborough County Extension is offering free tax preparation assistance for Hillsborough County residents who can connect via web meeting. During the web meeting, tax filers will be given access to tax filing software, and will receive one-on-one assistance from IRS trained and certified volunteers.
Appointments for the free service are required, and may be made for the following times:
Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m.-noon and 1-2:30p.m.
For more information, or to make an appointment, contact Denise Kantak, (813)
744-5519 ext. 54141 or [email protected].
Get Connected. Stay Alert.
For more information on COVID-19, and any other potential emergency in the county, visit HCFLGov.net/StaySafe and sign up for the HCFL Alert system.
Additionally, you can follow Hillsborough County on social media at Facebook, Twitter, and Nextdoor for updates. For general County information, call (813) 272-5900, the County’s main information line.
