FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ The Florida National Guard announced Sunday the activation of a task force to assist with the worsening coronavirus situation in Broward County.
The guard will form Task Force _ Medical, made up of all the guard's medical professionals to support the state health department's efforts in Broward, which has emerged as the worst-hit county in Florida.
Broward County has 36 of the state's total of 109 cases, according to figures released Sunday by the state health department.
Several workers serving cruise ships at Port Everglades were found to be infected. Another cluster occurred among six students at Nova Southeastern University who recently returned from a study-abroad trip to Ireland. Other cases remain under investigation.;
Of the 16 new cases in Broward County, seven were classified as travel-related, suggesting that the rest might have been through community spread. Experts say the worst is yet to come, with some estimates calling for the pandemic to last two months. At the current rate, Broward County alone could see more than 800 cases in the next two weeks.
