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Health Department head again calls for masking as COVID-19 numbers rise in Okaloosa County

Northwest Florida Daily News - 11/17/2020

Nov. 18--For the fifth straight week, Okaloosa County has seen an increase in the reported number of COVID-19 cases.

"Okaloosa is experiencing a serious outbreak of COVID-19," Health Department Director Dr. Karen Chapman said in her weekly report to county officials. "We have a long, hard, and dark fall and winter ahead of us."

Between Nov. 10 and Nov. 16, the county has averaged 79 new cases of the novel coronavirus per day, and on both Nov. 13 and 15 the Florida Department of Health reported more than 100 new cases in Okaloosa County. As of Monday, total cases had risen to 7,669.

By contrast, Santa Rosa County, with 6,614 total cases, is averaging 52 new cases daily and Walton County, with a total of 3,273 cases, averages 31.

The county is also seeing spikes in seven-day percent positivity and hospitalizations, Chapman said. She reported an increasing number of COVID-19 patients are occupying county ICU beds and said large numbers of cases continue to appear among children in school.

All of this is occurring, Chapman said, as the number of people showing up at hospitals with flu-like symptoms has begun to tick upward.

While vaccines are on the way, Chapman said, it will be awhile before there will be enough to protect the local community. She called again on local leaders to set an example for the rest of the community by wearing masks in public.

"Now more than ever, the wearing of a multi-layer, non-valved cloth mask by most of the community is essential. Action is needed by people in leadership positions to model the wearing of masks in settings outside the home for the public (lead by example) or action is needed to require cloth face masking in order to slow the spread of COVID-19."

She said wearing masks "can slow, if not reverse, the escalating case and positivity trend we are facing."

"It is good for our health and the economy," Chapman said.

Okaloosa County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, who was defeated in her call for a county-wide mask mandate, said county residents would be wise to heed Chapman's advice.

"If she says wear a mask, I'll wear a mask," Ketchel said. "I think if more people did we would see lower numbers."

Between Sept. 28 and Oct. 26, Chapman reported, the percentage of people being tested who showed positive results for COVID-19 rose by 1.78 percent, from 8.39 percent to 10.17 percent. But over the last three weeks the percentage increase has gone up by 3.9 percent, "indicating rapid spread of disease," Chapman said.

At this time more than 14 percent of those testing are showing positive results.

"This is five weeks above 10% positivity rate," Chapman wrote. "COVID-19 cases are growing rapidly in Okaloosa County."

With the holiday season soon to commence, Chapman reported "more and more of the exposures to COVID-19 in this country are occurring in smaller gatherings of people."

"Dinner and cocktail parties, birthday parties, sleepovers, brunches, baby showers and other similar type of events are now as likely to be associated with COVID-19 transmission as larger gatherings of people," she said.

Over the last week COVID-19 hospitalizations have averaged about 43 per day, Chapman reported. Just seven weeks ago, the average number of daily hospitalizations had dipped to 16.

As of Monday, 341 of the 453 hospital beds in Okaloosa County's three primary medical centers were in use, and 48 of the county's 54 available ICU beds were occupied. The 12 COVID-19 patients occupying ICU beds in the county represented 22 percent of the total beds.

There have been no COVID-19 related deaths reported in Okaloosa County in the last seven days.

Outbreaks continue to occur, however, in the county's long-term care facilities, where 68 of those who have thus far died from COVID-19 contracted the disease.

Crestview Rehabilitation Center reported 44 residents and 31 staff had tested positive. Fort Walton Rehabilitation Center had 25 residents and 16 staff infected, Fort Walton Beach Developmental Center had 12 residents test positive, Shoal Creek reported nine residents and three staff were sick and Safe and Secure Respite Care had three staff members infected.

"Long-term care facilities are now screening staff twice per week for COVID-19 due to Okaloosa County's persistent positivity rate above 10 percent," Chapman said.

During the period of Aug. 31 -- Nov. 8, 2020, there was a total of 497 cases of COVID-19 in students and school staff. Of those who have caught the disease, 76 percent are students and 53 of the cases were acquired as a result of being exposed to the virus while at school.

"Most of the secondary transmission occurred between students while sitting in the classroom," Chapman said. "High schools remain the primary location of secondary transmission for 38 (71.7%) of the 53 cases of COVID-19 acquired at school."

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(c)2020 the Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.)

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