Add To Favorites
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: Pressure eases slightly for Okaloosa medical facilities
Northwest Florida Daily News - 7/24/2020
Jul. 24--------
This content is being provided for free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. Please support local journalism by subscribing to the Northwest Florida Daily News.
------
The pressure on Okaloosa County medical staff, especially those working in intensive care units, has eased somewhat late this week, according to a report filed by county Public Safety Director Patrick Maddox.
Wednesday afternoon a report filed by Maddox showed just one ICU unit bed was available across the entire county and that nine surge beds had been staffed in preparation for an emergency.
The county reported 19 of the 54 occupied ICU beds were filled by COVID-19 patients and six of those patients required the use of ventilators.
In his Thursday report, Maddox said that the number of coronavirus victims occupying ICU beds had dropped by three and a total of six ICU beds in the county were available for use.
Also, 15 of 62 surge beds had been staffed.
On Friday, Maddox updated numbers to indicate that seven ICU beds were available and that three COVID-19 patients were no longer occupying ICU beds. There were a total of 13 coronavirus patients in ICU units countywide and the number on ventilators had dropped from six to four.
The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, however, rose by seven and overall hospital room availability for the county's three acute care centers had dropped by 14 to 92.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Northwest Florida and across the state, as well as the death toll in the state, continued to climb rapidly, however, with the Florida Department of Health reporting 12,444 new cases and 135 new deaths.
None of the deaths were in the four county region that includes Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton and Bay counties, but Santa Rosa reported 141 new cases, Bay 121 and Okaloosa 55.
There were five new hospitalizations in Okaloosa, four in Santa Rosa and two in Bay. Walton County reported 13 new cases but no new hospitalizations.
Of the 964 total cases reported in Walton County 75 have been long term care facility residents or staff and 64 jail inmates. Only seven are presently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Walton County, according to its Health Department.
STATEWIDE
Total cases: 402,312 +12,444
Total Florida resident deaths: 5,653, +135
Non-resident deaths: 115, +1
Below are the numbers for each county in the Daily News coverage area, plus a city-by-city breakdown of their positive cases. -- --- -- SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Total cases: 2,288, +141
Deaths: 19, +0
Hospitalizations: 134, +4 -- Milton: 1,019, +103
Gulf Breeze: 423, +9
Navarre: 346, +6
Pace: 208, +12
Jay: 77, +1
Pensacola Beach: 5, no change
Bagdad: 3, no change
Missing: 191, +9 -- --- -- OKALOOSA COUNTY
Total cases: 2,202, +55
Deaths: 16, +0
Hospitalizations: 105, +5 -- Fort Walton Beach: 773, +30
Crestview: 427, +8
Destin: 333, +5
Niceville: 236, +9
Mary Esther: 124, +4
Shalimar: 119, +6
Baker: 43, +1
Valparaiso: 21, +1
Laurel Hill: 20, +1
Eglin AFB: 17, no change
Holt: 15, +1
Hurlburt Field: 1, no change
Milligan, 1, no change
Missing: 47, +2 -- --- -- WALTON COUNTY
Total cases: 964, +33
Deaths: 11, no change
Hospitalizations: 50, no change -- Santa Rosa Beach: 305, +15
DeFuniak Springs: 300 , +4
Freeport: 100, +4
Miramar Beach: 77, +1
Inlet Beach: 27, +1
Ponce de Leon: 5, no change
Paxton, 4, no change
Watersound: 1
Westville: 1
Point Washington: 1
Seacrest: 1
Missing, 34, +1 -- --- -- BAY COUNTY
Total cases: 2,477, +121
Deaths: 14, no change
Hospitalizations: 87, +2 -- Panama City: 1,669, +81
Panama City Beach: 330 , +16
Lynn Haven: 256, +16
Youngstown: 45, +3
Southport: 41, +1
Fountain: 27, +1
Callaway: 10, no change
Tyndall AFB: 7, no change
Mexico Beach: 5, +2
Parker: 2, no change
Inlet Beach: 2, no change
Vernon: 2, +2
Bayou George: 1, no change
Missing: 20, +2
___
(c)2020 the Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.)
Visit the Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) at www.nwfdailynews.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.