Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed yet another "presumptive positive case" for the novel coronavirus in Florida Saturday afternoon, just one day after two people in Florida died from the virus.
DeSantis said the newest patient is a woman in her 50s in Charlotte County who recently "engaged in international travel" to either Egypt or Israel (the Governor could not confirm).
The announcement came after a press conference at Port Everglades where Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio vowed to work with cruise executives on addressing the spread of the virus on ships.
It was made clear during the press conference that the virus seems to have a far greater effect on elderly patients with "underlying health conditions."
"This is a virus that has a disproportionate impact on that community," DeSantis said.
Three more 'presumptive positive cases' were also announced by the Department of Health Saturday evening. Officials said the patients were a 66-year-old woman in Volusia County, a 61-year-old woman in Okaloosa County and a 81-year-old woman in Manatee County. All three women, officials say, had a recent history of traveling outside the United States.
People who attended a Nile River cruise in Egypt between February 4 and 18th are also being asked to self-quarantine by state health officials.
On Friday, health officials confirmed that two Florida residents had died from the novel coronavirus, and two "presumptive cases" had been identified in Broward County.
In a press release, the department said the new cases in Broward County involve a 75-year-old man and a 65-year-old man. No information on how the men contracted the virus has been confirmed, but the Governor said one of the Broward patients may have contracted the virus from a South Florida cruise line.
The two men are isolated and will remain in isolation until they no longer test positive, officials said.
The two deceased patients came from Santa Rosa County and Lee County, and both had returned from "international trips," the department said.
Also on Saturday, Florida gov. Ron DeSantis announced on his Twitter that Florida's Division of Emergency Management would be activated to level 2. The announcement came hours before DeSantis was expected to address the media at a press conference with Vice President Mike Pence.
16 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been linked to Florida, according to the Florida Department of Health. 10 of those 14 cases were Florida residents diagnosed in the state. 5 Florida residents were diagnosed in other states and are being isolated.
