Coronavirus: 6 Big Bend deaths over the weekend; local prison cases on the rise – Tallahassee Democrat

At-home testing could transform the fight against the novel coronavirus. USA TODAY

As Leon county surpasses 55,000 locally-administered COVID-19 tests, at least six Big Bend residents died because of the coronavirus over the weekend, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Leon County gained 105 confirmed cases of COVID-19 Sunday, bringing its total to 4,387 positive tests. Among the new cases are two 4-year-old girls, a 6-year-old boy, an8-year-old boy and five teenagers between ages 13 and 19. The youngest of Leon's new cases is a boy listed as "zero" years old. The oldest is a 91-year-old woman.

In Gadsden County, a 77-year-old man and a 61-year-old manhave died because of COVID-19, the state health department reports. So far, Gadsden County has had 20 fatalities associated with the virus.

The free COVID-19 testing site at Bragg Memorial Stadium on the FAMU campus Tuesday, May 12, 2020, has a steady stream of patients, but plenty of space to keep them all socially distant.(Photo: Randi Atwood/Tallahassee Democrat)

An 80-year-old Franklin County woman also has died because of COVID-19. She is the second coronavirus-related fatality in Franklin County, according to the health department.

In Jackson County, a92-year-old woman and an 87-year-old man have died because of the novel virus. The health department verified the 87-year-old man's death on Saturday and confirmed the 92-year-old woman's death on Sunday.

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A 60-year-old woman in Wakulla County also has died because of the virus. She is the fourth Wakulla resident to die because of COVID-19, according to the state health department. The department confirmed her death Saturday.

The health department does not provide further details about the individuals, except that they were all Florida residents.

Jefferson Correctional Institution in Monticello had 99 more inmates test positive for COVID-19, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.

The facility now has 174 inmates and 38 staff members who have tested positive. On Sunday, 225 inmate tests were pending, according to the state corrections department.

Franklin Correctional Institution in Carrabelle has had 17 more inmates test positive for COVID-19, the state corrections department reports. The Franklin facility has 888 pending inmate tests, according to the department.

Gadsden Re-Entry Center in Havana had 15 more inmates test positive for COVID-19, according to the corrections department. In total, the facility has had 16inmates and seven staff members test positive so far. The facilityhas333 pending inmate tests, the corrections department reports.

Casey Chapter is the news editor of the FSView & Florida Flambeau. Reach her at CChapter@Tallahassee.com or follow her on Twitter @CaseyChapter.

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Coronavirus: 6 Big Bend deaths over the weekend; local prison cases on the rise - Tallahassee Democrat