Escambia County COVID-19 Update #144

Updated at 4 p.m. July 15:
Please reference the prior updates and Escambia County COVID-19 Update #11 for a prior comprehensive running list. View an updated list of how to access county services here.  This update only includes new information we have received. Weekend updates will be distributed only when there is new information.           

Escambia County

• Hospital Information totals  
  • Hospitalizations 196 (current hospitalizations as of 3 p.m. on July 15, 2020)
  • Bed Capacity 1404 (as of 10 a.m. July 154, 2020 (county SITREP) 
  • Bed Occupancy 1077 (as of 10 a.m. July 15, 2020 (county SITREP) 
  • Beds Available 376 (as of 4 p.m. on July 15, 2020)
  • Total Ventilators 217 (as of 10 a.m. July 15, 2020 (county SITREP) 
  • Available Ventilators 148 (as of 10 a.m. July 15, 2020 (county SITREP) 
• Testing Site Information
• It has been requested to provide our daily COVID employee data. This spreadsheet shows what is currently happening and is not historical data.
• The Escambia County COVID-19 dashboard now also shows ventilator information. 

ECAT 
Beginning Wednesday, July 15, Routes 59 X, Routes 61 and the UWF Trolley will be running regular schedules.

The following routes are temporarily suspended until further notice:

• Route 41, East Pensacola Heights
• Route 59A, NAS Pensacola, airport

Routes 1, 2, 31, 32, 43, 44, 47, 48, 50, 51, 52, 55, 58, 59X, 60, 61 and 63 will continue modified schedule service Monday through Saturday. Route 64 will run Friday and Saturday. UWF Express Trolley will continue service Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Escambia County Corrections

• Total of 180 Escambia County inmates tested:
  • 130 positive
  • 49 negative
  • 2 pending
• At the Walton County jail, 32 Escambia County inmates tested positive out of the 152 inmates of ours housed there. 

Florida Department of Health in Escambia County

• FDOH-Escambia’s walk-in testing site is free to all Florida residents with or without symptoms. Pre-screening is not required. Open July 13-17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT at 1300 West Gregory St., Pensacola, FL 32502. Dates are subject to change due to inclement weather or shortage of supplies. For more information, please visit the dedicated COVID-19 webpage.
• The Florida Department of Health (the Department) issued a Public Health Advisory recommending the following: all individuals in Florida should wear face coverings in any setting where social distancing is not possible, all individuals over the age of 65 and all individuals of any age with high-risk health conditions should limit personal interactions out of the home, and all individuals should refrain from participation in social or recreational gatherings of more than 50 people.
• As of 2 p.m., July 15, Escambia County has had 4,745 positive COVID-19 cases. This number is expected to change daily due to the return of results from ongoing testing. The best source for up-to-date information regarding confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Florida is the Florida Department of Health website and the associated Data and Surveillance Dashboard and Daily Report. The site is currently updated once daily, at around 3 p.m. ET.
• The total number of COVID-19 related deaths in Escambia County residents is 55 individuals.
• The Department releases a list of long-term care facilities in Florida associated with COVID-19 cases with active cases and number of deaths in each facility in order to provide real-time data. The list of long-term care facilities with active COVID-19 cases is available here.
• The Department is providing a report detailing surveillance data for every Florida county. Previously, this information was only available for select communities. The surveillance data report is available here. 
• To view demographics of cases in Escambia County, visit the COVID-19 dashboard and select Escambia County. The following case data will appear: age, gender, race, and ethnicity.
• Need extra support dealing with stress and coping during this time? Find a list of available resources at Escambiahealth.com.
• Printable resources for restaurants and businesses can be found on the resources page of the FDOH COVID-19 website. 

• As positive COVID-19 cases continue to rise across Florida and here in our area, West Florida Hospital is taking proactive action in order to position our hospital to better serve the immediate health care needs of our community. Beginning Thursday, July 16, West Florida Hospital will temporarily defer the scheduling of elective surgeries as a measure to increase hospital bed capacity.
• This measure will be implemented as part of established hospital surge plans and is being done to ensure our care teams can continue to deliver safe, effective, and compassionate care to our patients experiencing both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 health concerns. This change does not affect surgeries scheduled to take place before July 16, 2020.
• West Florida Hospital will continue with urgent and emergent surgery. Low acuity surgeries that were scheduled on or after July 16, 2020 will be appropriately deferred at a surgeon's discretion, hospital policy and in consultation with the patient. The deferred cases will be concentrated in low acuity and those that may require an overnight stay at the hospital.