OKEECHOBEE — Okeechobee County now has 18 positive COVID-19 cases including a 6-year-old boy.

According to the May 4 Florida Department of Health report, the county has 643 tested, with 624 negative, 18 positive, and one test pending. The county’s positive test percentage is 2.8%.

Since testing started, five county residents and one person who is not a resident of Florida but was tested in Okeechobee County have been hospitalized. The FDOH report does not indicate if any of those hospitalized have since been released from the hospital.

No COVID-19 deaths have been reported for Okeechobee County, but according to the District 19 Medical Examiner’s Office, there has been one COVID-19 related death at Raulerson Hospital in Okeechobee. The death is not recorded on the DOH dashboard for Okeechobee County, because the person was not a resident of Okeechobee. The man reportedly came into Okeechobee County on a train, and was taken to the hospital emergency room.

The FDOH report for long-term care facilities still shows one staff member tested positive at the Okeechobee Health Care Facility. That data has not been updated since Friday.

The positive cases include:
• April 1: 41-year-old male (tested in Tampa but has permanent address in Okeechobee County);
• April 2: 33-year-old female;
• April 4: 74-year-old man (non-resident, does not have permanent address in Florida, was tested in Okeechobee County);

• April 6: 61-year-old female;
• April 7: 66-year-old female;
• April 17: 76-year-old female;
• April 19: 46-year-old female;
• April 21: 62-year-old female;
• April 23: 48-year-old female;
• April 26: 52-year-old female;
• April 29: 61-year-old male;
• April 30: 27-year-old male;
• May 2: 18-year-old male;
• May 2: 52-year-old male;
• May 3: 6-year-old male;
• May 3: 87-year-old female;
• May 3: 17-year-old male;
• May 3: 46-year-old male.