Escambia County COVID-19 Update #278

Updated at  3 p.m. Feb. 12:

For prior updates, visit myescambia.com/news#coronavirus. These updates will not be distributed when county administrative offices are closed on Monday, Feb. 15 in observance of Presidents Day.

Vaccination Information for Adults 65 and Older:

• Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System- The Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System's Joint Ambulatory Care Center in Pensacola will host drive-thru COVID-19 vaccinations Saturday for eligible veterans. Both the Pensacola facility and the Biloxi Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Mississippi will offer COVID-19 vaccinations by appointment only from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. based on availability. Veterans interested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine during either the Biloxi or Pensacola events can register by calling 1-800-296-8872.
• Florida Department of Health, Escambia County- FDOH-Escambia will schedule appointments based on supply availability. For the most up-to-date information, follow them on Twitter at @HealthyEscambia and visit EscambiaHealth.com. Residents who completed our online interest form will be transferred to the new system. Escambia County residents who have not already completed the online interest form should use the statewide preregistration system to sign up. Residents can call the toll-free line at 866-201-1025 or register online at myvaccine.fl.gov. The TTY number for the deaf and hard of hearing is 833-476-1461. Registrants will be notified when appointments are available in their area. The State has established a help line at 833-959-0217 for those who need to make changes to their original pre-registration.
  • This pre-registration system will proactively contact vaccine-eligible individuals to schedule appointments when they are available at health department or emergency management vaccine sites. Appointments are opened based upon the vaccine supply received each week from the State of Florida. Please be aware that when Sharecare calls you to schedule an appointment, they will NOT ask for financial information or social security information.
• Ascension Sacred Heart- Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart began vaccinations for adults 65 and older on Jan. 6. Monitor the Sacred Heart Facebook page for announcements. They will continue to hold clinics as supply becomes available.
• Florida- Sign up for text message updates about the vaccine and distribution by texting "FLCOVID19" to 888777. After you submit the text message, it will ask you to supply your zip code for local-level updates. Information about the statewide vaccine distribution plan can be found at floridahealthcovid19.gov/covid-19-vaccines-in-florida/.

• Publix - Publix will continue to announce appointment dates. Monitor Publix's online portal here.

• Walmart and Sam's Club- Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies can now accept and administer federal allocations of the COVID-19 vaccine. Walmart and Sam’s Club are working with the federal government to help increase access to COVID-19 vaccines at select pharmacies in 22 states once vaccine doses are available, starting late next week.

  • Once a store or club receives allocation, the online scheduler will be available to make appointments at walmart.com/COVIDvaccine and samsclub.com/covid. 

• Winn-Dixie - View the Winn-Dixie online portal here.

BRACE

• Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies will host its annual Northwest Florida Advanced Citizen Academy on February 19-21, 2021. Located at the Escambia County Public Safety, 6575 North W Street in Pensacola, the admission is FREE but registration is required. To register, applicants should go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/northwest-florida-advanced-citizen-corps-academy-tickets136292264833

• Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies is in need of volunteers for the Brownsville COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Smaller weekly vaccination events will take place on Feb. 13 and every Thursday in February. Multiple shifts are available. The weekly COVID-19 vaccine distribution takes place from 8 a.m. to noon every Thursday through Feb. 25. Interested parties can sign up at https://uwwf.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/?need_id=564757. All sessions take place at the Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. De Soto St. Call 850-739-3983 or visit bereadyalliance.org for details.

Escambia County

• Hospital Information totals
  • Hospitalizations 128 (current hospitalizations as of 2:30 p.m. Feb. 12, 2021)
  • Bed Capacity 1,397  (county SITREP)
  • Bed Occupancy 1,128  (county SITREP)
  • Beds Available 325 (as of 2:30 p.m. Feb. 12, 2021)
  • Total Ventilators 215 (as of 2:30 p.m. Feb. 12, 2021)
  • Available Ventilators 142 (as of 2:30 p.m. Feb. 12, 2021)
  • Recovered 30,861* (Approximate: total cases prior to last month minus deaths)
  • To view the county's Crude Case-Recovery Risk and a detailed explanation of the formula by which it is calculated, visit the Escambia County COVID-19 dashboard. The current Crude Case-Recovery Risk is 98.02% (as of 2:30 p.m. Feb. 12, 2021)

• Testing sites
• Rapid testing information
  • Appointments are available for Escambia County residents who are 3 months and older and are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Patients desiring COVID-19 testing through Ascension Sacred Heart's locations in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties should pre-register online by visiting: www.getsacredheartcare.com to be pre-screened and scheduled (if eligible) or call Community Health Northwest Florida at 850-390-4276. Rapid testing is offered for symptomatic individuals by appointment only. 
• Escambia County dashboard

Escambia County Corrections

• Cumulatively, 1,107 Escambia County inmates have been tested:
  • 240 positive (215 have been medically cleared, and 22 have been released from custody, leaving 3 active, positive cases at this time)
  • 867 negative
  • 0 pending
• At the Walton County jail, 29 Escambia County inmates tested positive out of the 146 inmates housed there. 

Florida Department of Health in Escambia County

• FDOH-Escambia announced that beginning February 5, FDOH-Escambia will transition to the statewide pre-registration system to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments. Residents who completed our online interest form will be transferred to the new system. Escambia County residents who have not already completed the online interest form should use the statewide preregistration system to sign up. Residents can call the toll-free line at 866-201-1025 or register online at myvaccine.fl.gov. The TTY number for the deaf and hard of hearing is 833-476-1461. Registrants will be notified when appointments are available in their area. The State has established a help line at 833-959-0217 for those who need to make changes to their original pre-registration.
• This pre-registration system will proactively contact vaccine-eligible individuals to schedule appointments when they are available at health department or emergency management vaccine sites. Appointments are opened based upon the vaccine supply received each week from the State of Florida. Please be aware that when Sharecare calls you to schedule an appointment, they will NOT ask for financial information or social security information.
• If you have pre-registered, we ask for your patience. The demand is high, and the supply is currently limited. As we received vaccine, we work to schedule appointments as quickly as we can. We encourage residents to take advantage of opportunities offered through other partners to get vaccinated.
• State Surgeon General Scott Rivkees issued a Public Health Advisory on January 21 prioritizing vaccines for residents of the State of Florida or individuals in Florida for the purpose of providing health care services involving direct contact with patients.
• FDOH-Escambia highlights recent efforts in providing the COVID-19 vaccine in Escambia County.
• FDOH-Escambia announced this week’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan in Escambia County in partnership with Ascension Sacred Heart, Baptist Health Care, Community Health Northwest Florida, and West Florida Hospital.
• Florida has launched a COVID-19 Vaccine Report that will be updated daily. As of Feb. 12, 34,393 Escambia County residents have been vaccinated.

• 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., February 12, Escambia County has had 32,590 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 585 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.

CDC Holiday Safety Guidelines (click the link for more tips)

Have a Safer Valentine's Day: The safest way to celebrate Valentine's Day is gathering virtually or with people who live with you.

• Make Valentine cards or decorations and drop them off to loved ones.
• Take a walk with your Valentine.
• Celebrate with loved ones virtually.
• Prepare a special meal or dessert.
• Plan a special movie or game night.
• Have a picnic outside.

If you plan to celebrate with people who don’t live with you, outdoors is safer than indoors.

Florida Division of Emergency Management

• The State of Florida is in its ninth week of vaccine distribution and is continuing to increase vaccine access statewide. Each week, the state issues updates on the progress of the state's COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, the state continues to develop proactive strategies to increase vaccine access to Florida’s seniors. Today, the Florida Department of Health issued an update on the progress of the state’s vaccination efforts, as well as its weekly COVID-19 update.
• FDEM is seeking volunteers that can administer the vaccine such as doctors, nurses and physician assistants. Please register at www.merits.com/fdem-volunteers, choose the county and then signup.