Updated at 2:45 p.m. Nov. 25:
Please reference the prior updates and Escambia County COVID-19 Update #11 for a prior comprehensive running list. This update only includes new information we have received. Weekend updates will be distributed only when there is new information. All Escambia County offices will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. No reports will be issued on these days.
Escambia County
- Hospital Information totals
- Hospitalizations 90 (current hospitalizations as of 2 p.m. Nov. 25, 2020)
- Bed Capacity 1,397 (as of 2 p.m. Nov. 25, 2020 (county SITREP)
- Bed Occupancy 1025 (as of 2 p.m. Nov. 25, 2020 (county SITREP)
- Beds Available 412 (as of 2 p.m. Nov. 25, 2020)
- Total Ventilators 215 (as of 2 p.m. Nov. 25, 2020)
- Available Ventilators 152 (as of 2 p.m. Nov. 25, 2020)
Testing sites
- Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart COVID-19 testing will be open Friday, Nov. 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 28 from 9 a.m. until noon. It will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 26
- All Community Northwest Florida COVID-19 mobile testing sites will be closed Thursday, Nov. 26 through Saturday Nov. 28, for the Thanksgiving holiday.
- The FDOH-Escambia Downtown COVID-19 Testing Center will be closed until Monday, Nov. 30, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
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Baptist Urgent Care – Airport is open on Thanksgiving Day, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Baptist Urgent Care will conduct COVID testing there as needed, however the site is not a drive-through testing site like Ascension Sacred Heart’s centers.
Rapid testing information
Escambia County dashboard
Escambia County Corrections
- Cumulatively, 769 Escambia County inmates have been tested:
- 210 positive (193 have been medically cleared, and 17 have been released from custody, leaving no active, positive cases at this time)
- 559 negative
- 0 pending
- At the Walton County jail, 29 Escambia County inmates tested positive out of the 146 inmates housed there.
Feeding the Gulf Coast
- Feeding the Gulf Coast facilities will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27, as part of the Thanksgiving holiday. Escambia County has partnered with Feeding the Gulf Coast to provide assistance from its CARES Act funding. All Feeding the Gulf Coast distribution centers in Escambia County are supported by these funds. There more than 30 distribution sites in Escambia County. To find a distribution center, a pantry or a child feeding location, visit the Feeding the Gulf Coast directory of service locations.
Florida Department of Health in Escambia County
- FDOH-Escambia’s drive-thru testing site is free to all Florida residents with or without symptoms. Pre-screening is not required. Open from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. CST Monday, Nov. 30; Tuesday, Dec. 1; Thursday, Dec. 3; and Friday, Dec. 4 (closed Wednesdays and Nov. 26-27 for the Thanksgiving holiday) at 1300 W. Gregory St., Pensacola. 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, and all individuals should refrain from participation in social or recreational gatherings of more than 10 people.
- As of 2 p.m., Nov. 25, Escambia County has had 16,223 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 2 p.m. CT.
- The total number of COVID-19 related deaths in Escambia County residents is 299 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 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.
Governor's Update
- Governor Ron DeSantis provided a news release with a video update on the new therapeutics and vaccine distribution plan. He also provided an update on the state's plan to distribute a vaccine, once it is approved and arrives in the state. In his message, DeSantis addressed:
- Regeneron receiving emergency use authorization as a treatment for COVID-19. This doubles the amount of therapeutics available when combined with Bamlanivimab, another previously approved therapeutic.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is meeting on Dec. 10 regarding the Pfizer vaccine and will review the Moderna vaccine soon after.
- Top pharmacists are ready to distribute vaccines to the state's long-term care facilities.
- Florida's priorities are to vaccinate the long-term care residents and front-line health care workers before general distribution of the vaccine.
- The state has designated an additional 500,000 rapid tests for long-term care facilities to test staff, visitors and contractors.
Holiday Guidance from the FDOH
- The Florida Department of Health issued a list of best practices for celebrating a safe holiday season. These recommendations extend beyond COVID-19, but are still applicable nonetheless. The FDOH suggests the following during the holidays to slow the spread of COVID-19:
- All individuals should wash their hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer frequently.
- If someone feels ill during the holiday season, get tested for COVID-19 and avoid going out in public or being around at-risk individuals.
- Older adults or persons with certain medical conditions who are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19, or live or work with someone at increased risk of severe illness, should avoid in-person gatherings with people who do not live in their household.
- Consider hosting an outdoor gathering rather than an indoor gathering.
- Guests who have traveled from other areas or towns should distance themselves from people who are 65 or older and people of any age who have underlying health issues such as lung or heart disease.
- Hosts entertaining at home should make sure frequently touched surfaces are cleaned and disinfected before and after gatherings.