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Florida health officials have identified a troubling trend; approximately 31 percent, or one-third, of children (people under the age of 18) in Florida tested for COVID-19 yield positive results, according to the Sun Sentinel.
State data indicates that out of 54,022 Florida children tested, 31.1 percent have returned positive results on average. This is higher than the statewide positivity rate, which reads in at about 11 percent.
Aside from the staggering figure indicating the transmission of the virus, health experts fear it can cause potential lifelong damage in children. Alina Alonso, the health department director of Palm Beach County, reportedly told county commissioners on Tuesday that the long-term consequences of coronavirus in children are unknown.
Alonso described X-rays that reveal damage caused to human lungs by the coronavirus, even for people without severe symptoms.
"They are seeing there is damage to the lungs in these asymptomatic children. ... We don't know how that is going to manifest a year from now or two years from now," Alonso told reporters. "Is that child going to have chronic pulmonary problems or not?"
I'm thinking that in terms of the number of (reported) daily new cases we are very close to reaching a peak in Sarasota & Manatee Counties (if we haven't already reached the peak). The record level of testing that we saw on July 7th is probably close to maximum capacity.
Also there are these subtle hints that the rate of Covid-19 spread is slowing down:
On July 7th (the record day for number of new cases) Sarasota County had 5030 tests with 459 positives for a test positive rate of 9.1%, while Manatee County had 4977 tests with 473 positives for a test positive rate of 9.5%.
Compare this to July 15th (the second highest day for number of new cases) where Sarasota County has 4002 tests with 281 positives for a test positive ratio of 7.0%, while Manatee County had 3838 tests with 336 positives for a test positive ratio of 8.8%.
There is a natural bias for the test positive rate to decrease as testing expands. And vice-versa the test positive rate tends to rise as testing decreases. Yet on July 15th we had a decrease in testing from the peak on July 7th - to go along with a decrease in the test positive rates.
Also the following model currently has the R value for Florida at 1.07:
This is down from a peak of 1.35 in early June. One other thing that I looked at to form my opinion is cell phone tracking data shows that people are becoming more cautious (not going out as much to restaurants, etc.)
That's the good news. However the bad news is that I still expect a lot more Covid-19 cases - it's just that the rate of expansion will slow down. I don't expext to see a sharp spike downward in the number of new cases for a while. I agree with Dr. Gottlieb in that we are reaching an "extended plateau" of new daily cases. Also because hospitalizations and deaths lag the number of new cases (and new cases will still be relatively high for a while) - I expect hospitalizations and deaths to continue rising for a while and those two metrics haven't peaked yet.
Last edited by wondermint2; 07-16-2020 at 04:07 PM..
Reported COVID-19 deaths reached a new daily record on Thursday as the Florida Department of Health announced 13,965 new cases. The new cases are the second-highest daily total since Sunday’s record of 15,300. A total of 315,775 coronavirus cases have been reported in the state since the pandemic began.
The number of reported deaths of Florida residents rose Thursday by 156 to 4,677, breaking Tuesday’s record of 132.
Sarasota County’s numbers rose by 277 cases since Wednesday, for a total of 3,724. Manatee County had 350 new cases, for a total of 5,914. Four new deaths were reported in Manatee County, bringing its total to 143. No new deaths were reported in Sarasota County; the toll remains at 100.
According to a state database, in Sarasota County 150 people are currently hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19, an increase of 10 from Wednesday. In Manatee County, 106 are hospitalized, an increase of 27.
Medical masks must be properly fitted and sealed around the mouth and nose to be effective.
....
^^^That's for N95 Respirators which are mostly worn by doctors and nurses and others in the medical field. Supply has been directed to medical staff and first responders, so most other people don't have them. Because of severe shortage, single use have not been thrown out. Sterilization methods used due to the shortage.
A surgical mask isn't an N95 Respirator. Surgical mask is much more comfortable and has loops that go behind the ears. N95 is tighter fit and has 2 rubber band like straps that go behind the head. Both have different levels of protection.
I've also been doing a lot of research on face masks. Here are the highlights of what I've found so far:
Medical masks must be properly fitted and sealed around the mouth and nose to be effective.
Masks must not be touched. Every touch has the potential to contaminate the mask and the hands, thus increasing the spread of disease.
Medical masks are single use devices designed to be worn for a relatively short period of time. Once the mask becomes saturated with moisture from breath, which, if properly fit, takes about an hour, they should be replaced. The more moisture-saturated the mask becomes, the more it blocks oxygen, increases re-breathing of carbon dioxide, re-breathing of viral particles, and becomes a breeding ground for other pathogens.
The longer masks are worn, the more they are touched, and the more contaminated they become. In addition to capturing pathogens on their outer surface, masks also quickly become moist, warm breeding grounds for bacteria and fungi.
By the way, some of the experts are saying that cloth masks provide little effectiveness in blocking out virus particles. Limited, indirect evidence from lab studies suggests that homemade fabric masks may capture large respiratory droplets, but there is no evidence they impede the transmission of aerosols implicated in the spread of COVID-19, according to a paper published in April by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Here are basic guidelines put out for the public regarding the wearing of masks:
Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent washing with soap and water and strict sterility management techniques.
Before putting on a mask, clean hands with soap and water. Only use alcohol-based hand cleaners when soap and water are not available.
Cover your mouth and nose with the mask and make sure there are no gaps between your face and the mask. Proper wear, fit, handling, and disposal are critical to efficacy.
Avoid touching the mask while using it; if you do, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
Replace the mask with a new one as soon as it is damp and do not reuse single-use masks.
To remove the mask: remove it from behind (do not touch the front of the mask); discard immediately in a closed bin; clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
No mask should be worn and reused (unless it is properly sterilized, which is highly unlikely to occur in the general public).
Just my 2 cents worth, but I think the local news media could be providing a much needed public service by devoting more time to showing and explaining the use and care of face masks vs just telling us all that this municipality or that is now requiring face masks be worn.
Great post however, IRL - in real life - it's not happening. You'll have better luck wearing patchouli if you want people to stay 6' away.
Hospitalizations from COVID-19 have put a dent in available beds in Sarasota and Manatee counties, but not overwhelmed hospitals. As of Thursday, 60 of the 72 intensive care beds at Sarasota Memorial Hospital were filled.
The hospital reports that it has enough ventilators to boost its ICU capacity to 100 beds. The pandemic has led to 444 total patients entering the hospital. Forty of those patients died but most were successfully discharged.
Sarasota Memorial is running at an 85% capacity overall, with 712 of its 839 beds filled, including 118 COVID-19 patients. The hospital’s seven-day testing positivity rate is 10.7 percent.
Other Sarasota County hospitals are also holding up, with 82% of the 1,103 beds filled at Venice Regional Bayfront Health and 85% at Doctors Hospital of Sarasota.
With six new COVID-19 patients admitted into Manatee Memorial since Wednesday, the hospital was out of ICU beds. All but 92 of the hospital’s 738 total beds, or 12%, remained unoccupied. Open spots elsewhere raise the total of available ICU beds with staffing to 69, the Agency for Health Care Administration reports. Those include 36 ICU beds at Blake Medical Center and nine at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.
*With available staffing the Manatee County hospitals currently look like this:
"Manatee Memorial Hospital had 66 COVID-19 positive patients, five available non-ICU beds and no available ICU beds. Lakewood Ranch Medical Center had 26 COVID-19 positive patients, two available non-ICU beds and three available ICU beds. Blake Medical Center had 34 COVID-19 positive patients, no available non-ICU beds and seven available ICU beds." https://www.bradenton.com/news/coron...244269852.html
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System’s President and CEO David Verinder said SMH is out of the experimental drug Remdesivir. The hospital is also out of antibody-rich plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients.
Verinder said staff continues to see an increase in COVID-19-positive patients.
As of Wednesday evening, the hospital was taking care of 118 COVID-19 patients, 26 of whom were in the intensive care unit. Verinder said the hospital’s supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) was “secure” and staff has enough of what they need to operate, however, they are monitoring supply levels on an “hour-to-hour” basis.
Last edited by wondermint2; 07-16-2020 at 04:35 PM..
Walmart and Sam’s Club will start requiring masks at stores and clubs nationwide starting Monday, July 20, the company announced Wednesday.
“We know some people have differing opinions on this topic. We also recognize the role we can play to help protect the health and well-being of the communities we serve by following the evolving guidance of health officials like the CDC,” the retailers’ chief operating officers said in a blog post Wednesday.
Best Buy and Starbucks started requiring consumers nationwide wear masks Wednesday.
Publix will soon be requiring all customers across its chain of grocery stores to wear a face covering while shopping due to the continued spread of the novel coronavirus.
Starting July 21, all customers will have to be wearing a face covering in order to enter the store, except young children and those with medical conditions who are not able to wear a face covering. For those not able to wear a mask, Publix encourages them to use Publix delivery or curbside pickup.
Signs will be put up at store entrances and in-store announcements will be made in the coming days to announce the new store policy.
^^^That's for N95 Respirators which are mostly worn by doctors and nurses and others in the medical field. Supply has been directed to medical staff and first responders, so most other people don't have them. Because of severe shortage, single use have not been thrown out. Sterilization methods used due to the shortage.
A surgical mask isn't an N95 Respirator. Surgical mask is much more comfortable and has loops that go behind the ears. N95 is tighter fit and has 2 rubber band like straps that go behind the head. Both have different levels of protection.
That’s right, N95 is a bear to wear because it needs proper fitting. Surgical mask (single use) is more user friendly. Walmart has finally started stocking them again, about $17 and change for a box of 25. I use it when I work around the yard to prevent allergy attack. It’s definitely more effective than taking Zyrtec, I can tell you that!
When I’m out and about, I use my own homemade cotton mask with a HEPA filter insert that captures virus particles. It’s much more comfortable and fits perfectly because it’s made for me.
To stop the unrelenting march of the deadly coronavirus, masks should be mandatory and new restrictions should be placed on restaurants, gyms and other businesses in 12 Florida counties and 12 metro areas, according to an unpublished report by the White House Coronavirus Task Force obtained Thursday by the Center for Public Integrity.
Saying Florida is among 18 states in the country that are in the “red zone” according to key measures, the report outlines a series of steps that should be taken to curb the spread of the highly contagious respiratory disease.
The report recommended crackdowns in Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Orange, Collier and Lee counties. It also recommended strict measures be taken in Jacksonville, which is slated to host the Republican National Convention next month.
Metro areas that are also in the red zone include Port St. Lucie, Daytona Beach, Pensacola, Tallahassee and Lakeland.
Another 12 counties and several metro areas are in the “yellow zone,” considered to be at risk.
Dr. Deborah Birx, a leader of the task force, told the nonprofit government watchdog group that the weekly report and previous ones are shared with governors. But Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has made no mention of them in his near-daily press conferences.
Florida’s House Democrats demand stay-at-home orders, mandatory masks statewide
]https://www.bradenton.com/news/coronavirus/article244284942.html
Nearly all of Florida’s Democratic congressional delegation is calling for targeted stay-at-home orders and a statewide mask order as the state’s coronavirus death toll breaks records.
In a letter sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday and obtained by the Miami Herald, 12 of Florida’s 13 Democrats in the House of Representatives urged the governor “to finally take strong action to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in Florida.”
“We ask that you immediately impose a statewide mask order and stay-at-home orders recommended by public health officials in parts of the state where the outbreak is raging,” the letter said. “By failing to reopen our state in the safe, smart, and step-by-step manner that you promised, and by ignoring [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] gating criteria, our state may be forced into a statewide economic shutdown, either by your order or simply because Floridians and visitors do not feel safe.”
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