Updated at 3 p.m. March 16:
For prior updates, visit myescambia.com/news#coronavirus.
Vaccination Information:
- Ascension Sacred Heart- Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart will hold COVID-19 vaccination clinics this week in Milton and Pensacola for Florida residents 60 and older, and others who qualify under Florida's latest executive order.
Clinics will be held at Olive Baptist Church on Olive Road in Pensacola on Tuesday, March 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ascension Sacred Heart has a total of 2,800 doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to distribute. Appointments are required and can be made by sending an email to covid19vaccinesupport@ascension.org. Please include your name and date of birth in the email and state whether you prefer to go to the clinic in Milton or Pensacola.
In addition to persons 60 and older, other groups eligible for the vaccine at the two locations are:
- Employees of the Escambia County School District, Santa Rosa County School District, and private schools (K-12).
- First responders, firefighters and law enforcement personnel age 50 and older
- Healthcare workers with direct patient contact
Also eligible are Individuals ages 18 to 64 who have underlying conditions that, according to the CDC, put them at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
- Baptist Health Care-
Vaccination Appointments Available at Baptist Health Care
Baptist Health Care has vaccine appointments available this week, while supplies last. Vaccinations will be given by appointment only to those who meet Florida eligibility criteria. Patients will be able to select time and location of appointment based on availability and convenience.
COVID-19 vaccinations are currently designated for Florida residents who are one of the following:
- Age 60 or over
- Health care workers of any age
- Sworn law enforcement officers 50 years of age and older
- Firefighters 50 years of age and older
- Preschool, K-12 school or day care employees of any age
People who are in one of the allowable workforce groups must present an ID badge or proof of employment at the appointment.
Special Information for the Medically Vulnerable
People under the age of 60 who are medically vulnerable can receive the vaccine with completion of the COVID-19 Determination of Extreme Vulnerability form that is required by the state of Florida. The form must be completed and signed by a person’s physician and brought to the vaccination appointment. The form is available at ebaptisthealthcare.org/easyschedule.
How to Make a Vaccination Appointment
Appointments can be made one of three ways:
- Visit EasySchedule.com. Click “procedure appointment” and complete the registration.
- Email name and contact information to BHCVaccine@bhcpns.org.
- For those who do not have email/internet access, call 850.908.SHOT (7468), Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Community Health Northwest Florida- Community Health Northwest Florida will hold a special Johnson & Johnson “One Shot” COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Thursday, March 18th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Century Agricultural Building, 6001 A Highway 4 in Century. A limited amount of vaccine is available for this special event which is for residents of Century and surrounding communities.
Appointments are required. Eligible persons who wish to be scheduled for this special Johnson & Johnson vaccination event should call the Community Health COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center at 850-439-3358 or Community Health Adult Primary Care at 850-724- 4064 to make an appointment.
Some features of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine include the following:
- Only one shot is required
- For persons 18 and older
- Vector vaccine
- Doesn't contain eggs, latex or preservatives
This clinic is open to all residents of Century and surrounding communities who qualify, including those covered under the Governor’s latest Executive Orders. Currently, the amended order expands the groups eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida to include all people age 60 and older (effective on March 15th), people who are "medically vulnerable", as well as individuals who hold specific jobs that put them at high risk.
Eligibility Criteria for Vaccines:
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Persons 60 years of age and older
- Adults 18 and older deemed medically vulnerable by a physician. One of the following is required:
- Patients may have their doctor fill out a State of Florida “COVID Vulnerability Determination” form or
- Bring a doctor’s note/prescription stating the condition that qualifies the patient or current prescription bottles of the medication that treats the pre-existing condition.
- If individual is a current Community Health Northwest Florida patient and medically vulnerable, no form is required.
- All K-12 school employees, all ages; must show a badge from their school. (Current Executive Order does not include educators beyond K-12).
- Daycare workers; badge or paystub required as proof of employment in daycare setting
- Long-term care facility residents and staff
- Healthcare personnel with direct patient contact
- Sworn law enforcement officers 50 years of age and older
- Firefighters 50 years of age and older
- 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. Escambia County residents should use the statewide preregistration system to sign up for vaccination. 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 or texts you to schedule an appointment, they will NOT ask for financial information or social security information.
- 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/.
The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program
- CVS- CVS Health is partnering with several local state and federal programs to help administer the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible populations. Appointments will be available as they receive vaccines from these programs.
- Register in advance at CVS.com or through the CVS Pharmacy app. People without online access can contact CVS customer service at (800) 746-7287.
- Walk-in vaccinations without an appointment will not be provided.
- Publix - Publix is opening its online reservation system for COVID 19 vaccination appointments at all 730 of its in-store Florida pharmacies, including the addition of 136 stores in Broward and Miami Dade counties. Publix will continue to announce appointment dates. Monitor Publix's online portal here.
Escambia County
- Hospital Information totals
- Hospitalizations 29 (current hospitalizations as of 2:30 p.m. March 15, 2021)
- Bed Capacity 1,397 (county SITREP)
- Bed Occupancy 1,128 (county SITREP)
- Beds Available 411 (as of 2:30 p.m. March 16, 2021)
- Total Ventilators 215 (as of 2:30 p.m. March 16, 2021)
- Available Ventilators 142 (as of 2:30 p.m. March 16, 2021)
- Recovered 33,202* (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 97.89% (as of 2:30 p.m. March 16, 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, 1,226 Escambia County inmates have been tested:
- 242 positive (220 have been medically cleared, and 22 have been released from custody, leaving 0 active, positive cases at this time)
- 984 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
- Pursuant to EO 21-47, the State Department has published a form for physicians to certify that they have determined an individual to be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 and eligible to receive the vaccine. Click here to access the form.
- Escambia County residents should use the statewide preregistration system to sign up for vaccination. Residents can call the toll-free line at 866-201-1025 or preregister 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, West Florida Hospital and Woodlands Medical Specialists.
- Florida has launched a COVID-19 Vaccine Report that will be updated daily. As of March 16, 56,893 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., March 16, Escambia County has had 34,441 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 654 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 Guidelines
- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday updated its guidance for childcare programs during the pandemic, emphasizing the importance of mask-wearing for everyone 2 years of age and older, as well as air ventilation and other strategies.
- One year ago today, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The toll of this disease and the continued loss of life around the world and in our nation is heartbreaking. To so many of you who have felt the pain and loss of a loved one during this pandemic – you have suffered the ultimate loss, and we grieve with you.
- On Monday, March 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its first set of recommendations on activities that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can safely resume.
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The CDC has released resources to help people make informed decisions when they are fully vaccinated.
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Safer Ways to Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day
Attending gatherings to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day increases your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. The safest way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year is to gather virtually, with people who live with you, or outside and at least 6 feet apart from others.
- Decorate your home in St. Patrick’s Day colors, shamrocks and leprechauns.
- Celebrate by making Irish–inspired recipes.
- Have an outdoor neighborhood St. Patrick’s Day celebration with everyone at least 6 feet apart and wearing masks.
- Watch a virtual St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
If you plan to celebrate with others, outdoors is safer than indoors.
Florida Division of Emergency Management
Governor's Press Office
- To date, more than 1,500 homebound seniors have been vaccinated by state strike teams. The state is launching a new way for homebound seniors to sign up to have the vaccine come directly to them. Please email HomeboundVaccine@em.myflorida.com to put in your request.
- Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 21-65 which states: On March 10, 2021, the Board of Executive Clemency approved the Governor's proposal to categorically remit all fines related to local government COVID-19 restrictions. This executive order remits any fines imposed between March 1, 2020, and March 10, 2021, by any political subdivision of Florida related to local government COVID-19 restrictions. Read Executive Order 21-65 here.
- Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 21-62 (Amending Executive Order 20-315 - Vaccine Administration/Protecting Florida’s Seniors), which takes effect on Monday, March 15, 2021. Executive Order 21-62 expands COVID-19 vaccination in Florida to include the following:
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During this first phase of vaccine administration, all providers administering any COVID-19 vaccine shall only vaccinate the following populations:
- Long-term care facility residents and staff.
- Persons 60 years of age and older. (effective March 15)
- Health care personnel with direct patient contact.
- K-12 school employees 50 years of age and older. (effective March 3)
- Sworn law enforcement officers 50 years of age and older. (effective March 3)
- Firefighters 50 years of age and older. (effective March 3)
- Persons deemed to be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 by hospital providers. (effective Feb. 26)
