Lee a COVID ‘red zone,’ White House Coronavirus Task force finds
A report issued by the White House Coronavirus Task force has Florida “in the red” when it comes to the spread of COVID-19.
While Gov. Ron DeSantis had not released this report as of press time, its release has been court-ordered and the nonprofit organization Center for Public Integrity obtained and made public a document dated Dec. 6 that recommends greater mitigation steps be taken. These reports are sent to the governor’s desk each week and have not been made public by DeSantis since late October.
The report states, “Florida is in the red zone for cases, indicating 101 or more new cases per 100,000 population, with the 41st highest rate in the country. Florida is in the red zone for test positivity, indicating a rate at or above 10.1%, with the 33rd highest rate in the country. Rankings are almost irrelevant as the entire country is surging.”
The report indicates that the state has seen stability in new cases, an increase in test positivity, and an increase of hospitalizations and deaths.
The report said these statistics indicate an “unrelenting community spread and inadequate mitigation.”
According to the report, 99% of all counties in Florida have moderate or high levels of community transmission (yellow, orange or red zones), including Lee County (red zone).
The recommendation from the White House Coronavirus Task Force, headed by Vice President Mike Pence and Dr. Deborah Birx, stated, “Mitigation efforts must increase…including masking, physical distancing, hand hygiene, no indoor gatherings outside of immediate households and aggressive testing to find the asymptomatic individuals responsible for the majority of infectious spread.”
DeSantis has never imposed a statewide mask mandate throughout the pandemic and has repeatedly stated in media conferences he would not be repealing any COVID-19-based mandates for businesses.
Request for comment to DeSantis’ office was not immediately returned.
By the Numbers
As of Tuesday, there are 1,143,794 total cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Florida, an increase of 9,411 since FDOH’s last update Monday.
Test results reported to the Department of Health on Monday, Dec. 14 resulted in a 9.64 positivity rate, the highest in over a month. Positivity rates in new cases have topped 7% in 32 out of the last 36 daily reports. Percent positivity rates in new cases have been over 5% since Oct. 29.
The state saw its highest daily percentage of positive patients July 8, when 18.50 percent of tests reported were positive among 51,686 tests.
Of those testing positive, 58,612 Florida residents have been hospitalized at some point during their illness according to the state.
The death toll increased by 94 (six occurring Monday) from Monday’s report, bringing the total number of deaths, both resident and non-resident, to 20,365.
In Lee County, 35,031 individuals (+314) have tested positive as of Tuesday’s update.
Positive COVID-19 cases in the county have ranged from infants to a 103-year-old. Lee County saw its first two cases on March 7, when a man and a woman, each 77, tested positive. They had traveled to the Dominican Republic.
There have been 622 deaths in Lee County, an increase of seven from Monday’s report.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Lee Health had 140 COVID-19 patients isolated in system inpatient hospitals, including 24 new admissions and 20 discharges since Monday. Over the weekend, Lee Health saw 55 new admissions and 61 discharges.
A total of 3,739 patients who had tested positive have been discharged since the beginning of the pandemic.
On Monday, Lee Health had a 26.3% positivity rate on COVID-19 tests processed through Lee Health Labs. This represents Lee Health results only, not Lee County as a whole. Hospital positivity rates tend to be higher as the tests are performed on patients seeking treatment for a health issue, not the general public that includes asymptomatic individuals.
Census as of Tuesday afternoon was at 92 (+7)% of staffed operational bed capacity, with 10.3 (-.7)% of those being COVID-19 patients. Staffed operational capacity reflects the number of beds for which the hospital has adequate staffing, not the total number of beds within Lee Health hospitals. Overall bed capacity fluctuates hour to hour as the system discharges patients throughout the day who are ready to go home.
As of Tuesday, 70 (-2)% of ventilators and 12 (-8)% of ICU rooms are available for use across Lee Health facilities.
As of Tuesday, there were 8 (+0) COVID-19 patients on ventilators and 16 (-4) in the intensive care unit.
COVID-19 is a highly contagious viral disease. For most individuals, symptoms are mild. For a minority, the disease becomes a type of viral pneumonia with severe complications. Especially at risk are those who are older, those with underlying health conditions and the immune-compromised.
Officials strongly urge all members of the public who are at risk to remain at home so as to limit exposure. All others are urged to observe social distancing and to wear a mask for all public interactions.
For more detail on Florida resident cases, visit the live DOH Dashboard.
To find the most up-to-date information and guidance on COVID-19, visit the Department of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 webpage. For information and advisories from the Centers for Disease Control, visit the CDC COVID-19 website. For more information about current travel advisories issued by the U.S. Department of State, visit the travel advisory website.
For any other questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, contact the Department’s dedicated COVID-19 Call Center by calling 1-866-779-6121. The Call Center is available 24 hours per day. Inquiries may also be emailed to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
— Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj
To reach CJ HADDAD, please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com