Jacksonville-area families stocking up on supplies to prevent coronavirus

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Department of Health said it is monitoring two presumptive cases of coronavirus in an adult in Hillsborough County and an adult in Manatee County. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a presumptive positive means a case has tested positive by a public health laboratory and is pending confirmation by a CDC test.

Leaders at the Department of Health in Jacksonville say there are no cases locally, but the fear of the spreading coronavirus has local families stocking up on preventative supplies.

RELATED: First coronavirus cases in Florida

CVS said surgical masks are in very limited supply due to global demand, and that means shortage here locally.

Employees at the Target store on Beach Boulevard told Action News Jax they’ve been out of medical masks since the beginning of February. Hand sanitizer is another thing that’s in high demand as local families worry about the coronavirus.

A pulmonologist at Memorial Hospital told Action News Jax your best bet to prevent the coronavirus is by using hand sanitizer.

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order directing state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees to declare a public health emergency as Florida tries to control the spread of the contagious disease, known as COVID-19.

Since many people work in shared spaces, Action News Jax took a look at how long the Coronavirus can last on different surfaces.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO):

• It is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses
• Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days
• This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment)

Florida public health emergency Florida public health emergency

Two adults treated for COVID-19 The Florida Department of Health said two adults are being monitored after presumptive positive cases for coronavirus were discovered in Hillsborough and Manatee County.

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