ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said there are more than 400 positive cases of COVID-19 in the county and cases could reach 500 by Friday.
He said National Institutes of Health models predict that the number of cases in the county will peak in late April or early May.
Read: Gov. DeSantis to issue stay-at-home order in Florida
Demings said the models predict there will be 7,000 deaths in Florida with 172 deaths per day during the pandemic's peak.
He said there are six hot spots for cases in the county, which is broken down by ZIP code.
• 32801 (Downtown Orlando)
• 32822 (Orlando and Azalea Park)
• 32839 (Orlando, Edgewood, Holden Heights, Oak Ridge and Pine Castle)
• 32837 (Hunters Creeks)
• 32824 (Orlando, Meadow Woods, Southchase and Taft)
• 32828 (University Park)
“There are cases in every particular quadrant,” Demings said.
County heat map of #COVID-19 cases. @OCFLMayor: Don't be misled about the lack of numbers in your zip code - as there are various factors, specifically population density. According to CDC, as many as 25% of people can be infected with COVID-19, but not show symptoms. pic.twitter.com/yWNsE6mYyd
— Orange County FL (@OrangeCoFL) April 1, 2020
Demings cautioned that, with weeks left before the peak, any zip code could end up on the map.
“That heat map can change daily, based on the spread of the virus,” he said.
Demings said two more Orange County Fire Rescue employees have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases to three.
None of them have been hospitalized, and they remain in self-quarantine, he said.
Demings said the county's rental assistance program has closed after it received more than 30,000 applications in 12 days.
He said staff members will follow up with each applicant.
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Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said an Orlando Fire Department employee has also tested positive for COVID-19 after he or she experienced flu-like symptoms last month.
Dyer said the firefighter works in an administrative role, does not come into contact with patients, is no longer symptomatic and remains in self-quarantine.
He said events of more than 10 people have been banned until the end of April in the city of Orlando.
Watch the full news conference below, and keep scrolling to continue reading the latest update:
Dr. Raul Pino, the state health officer for Orange County, said more than 3,602 people have been tested in the county with 10% of cases testing positive for the virus.
So far, 64 patients have required hospitalization, he said.
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Pino said the Orlando area appears to be two weeks behind other harder hit cities such as, New York City and Miami in terms of trends.
"The next two weeks are critical for us," he said. "It is in our control to stop spreading the disease around."
Read: #KeepOrlandoHome: Property managers, nonprofits raise money for rental assistance programs
He urged residents to practice social distancing, to wash their hands, to stay at home and to only leave their homes when necessary.
Pino said testing sites will be open through the weekend.
He gave the follow breakdown of cases by city:
• Orlando (272)
• Winter Park (21)
• Windermere (16)
• Ocoee (12)
• Apopka (8)
• Winter Garden (8)
• Maitland (7)
Demings said a burn ban is in place in the county because of recent dry weather. He said residents should follow the ban to not bring undue stress upon the county’s firefighters.
Click here to read more about the burn ban.
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