Florida: 2 dead in the state who tested positive for coronavirus

Florida Department of Health said Friday evening that the two patients who died were in their 70s and had traveled overseas.

Florida health officials say two people who tested positive for the new coronavirus have died in the state.

A worker inside the Neal Koucrek Convention Center carries plastic taken down off a pillar that would have been used to stick posters on, after the South by Southwest (SXSW) music and tech festival was cancelled over growing concerns related to the coronavirus outbreak in Austin, Texas. (REUTERS)

The Florida Department of Health said Friday evening that the two patients who died were in their 70s and had traveled overseas. One of them was a man with underlying health issues in Santa Rosa County, in Florida’s Panhandle, according to the statement.

It said the second death was that of an elderly person in the Fort Myers area.

Florida also raised on Friday the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19, the new virus strain, from four to seven.

Officials had previously announced five Florida residents who had been traveling in China have also been quarantined elsewhere after testing positive for the virus.

Florida authorities are announcing both people who have tested positive for the virus in the state as well as Florida residents who have tested positive elsewhere, and who may be part of other state tallies.