Rick Patrick
ECB Publishing, Inc.
In response to two Floridians testing positive for the COVID-19 (coronavirus) virus, Gov. DeSantis has issued an executive order declaring a public health emergency for the State of Florida. One of the two Floridians testing positive is a resident of Manatee County, while the other lives in Hillsborough County. Both these cases had previously been listed a “presumptively positive,” meaning they were awaiting confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of 1:17 p.m. on Monday, March 2, these two cases were changed to “confirmed positive.” There are eight who are pending testing results and 15 who tested negative for the virus. Additionally, there are 184 people who are under public health monitoring. According to the Florida Department of Health, “the number of people under public health monitoring includes those at risk of having been exposed to novel coronavirus who are monitoring their health under the supervision of public health officials. This number includes close contacts of laboratory confirmed cases, as well as people who have returned from China in the past 14 days.”
In his executive order, Gov. DeSantis emphasized the importance of people taking preventive measures when dealing with any communicative disease, including COVID-19 and the more prevalent influenza virus. These measures include: “voluntary home isolation when individuals are sick with respiratory symptoms, covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue and disposal of the tissue immediately thereafter, washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers with 60 percent to 95 percent alcohol if soap and water are not readily available and routinely cleaning frequently touched surfaces and objects to increase community resilience and readiness for responding to an outbreak.”
During a press conference in which the governor announced the declaration, he stated that the state would be taking action to help ensure the safety of those in assisted-living facilities and nursing homes. The governor also reminded Floridians that 80 percent of those who have contracted COVID-19 have been able to treat it and recover at home, as it has generally been a mild illness. However, in approximately 15 percent of the cases, the illness becomes serious enough that hospitalization is needed. In another five percent of the cases, the virus has caused more serious illness. Many of those more serious cases involved elderly patients with underlying health issues, such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other auto-immune conditions which came into play. Most younger and otherwise healthy people tend to recover with few problems. The governor is asking all nursing homes and assisted-living facilities to re-examine their visitation policies and carefully screen any visitors who may appear to be sick.
Health officials still consider the overall immediate threat to the general public to be low. However, they encourage individuals to take proactive measures to prevent the spread of illnesses. Citizens are encouraged to go about their normal routines but still avoid contact with anyone who is sick. If you are sick, you are asked to stay home; cover coughs with a tissue, then throw the tissue away and wash hand frequently with soap and water.
For more, up-to-date information, visit the Florida Department of Health's special website at: floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19.
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