Average number of new COVID-19 cases and positivity dropping in Okaloosa County

Feb. 20—FORT WALTON BEACH — Seldom in the year since the COVID-19 pandemic reached Okaloosa County has Health Department Director Dr. Karen Chapman used the word "encouraging."

In her report tracking the coronavirus between Feb. 1-14, however, she used it twice.

The number of people testing positive for COVID-19 in the county, as well as the percentage of those being tested returning positive results, have dropped significantly in the past two weeks, Chapman told county officials.

"This is an encouraging trend," she said.

In just the past seven days, the daily resident case count has declined from an average of 107 to 65, Chapman reported. The number of new cases provides an indication of the scope of the outbreak in the county.

Also, the percentage of those being tested for COVID-19 returning positive results has dropped from just under 18% to between 10% and 11%, Chapman reported. She called the drop significant even though it is as yet nowhere close to the 5% target.

Along with the decrease in cases has come a decrease in the number of hospitalizations for those with COVID-19 as well as COVID-19-related deaths.

"Okaloosa has seen a continuous decline in hospitalizations over the past week. In the past four days, COVID-19 admissions have been less than 10% of all acute care community hospital beds," Chapman reported.

Data shows that between Feb. 1-18, 26 people died in Okaloosa County from COVID-19-related illness. In the 18-day period prior to that, the county lost 35. The total death toll now stands at 312.

As of Feb. 16, two long-term care facilities had logged five new cases of COVID-19 in the past week and seven facilities had reported 17 cases in the past 14-days, Chapman reported. However, 15 facilities have had no cases in the previous 14 days.

But schools, particularly high schools, continue to be hotbeds for the spread of COVID-19. Chapman reported that Crestview High School, which between Feb. 6-13 logged 17 new cases, has now reported 192 cases, which ranks it No. 1 one among schools in Florida.

"For the period Sept. 6-Feb. 16, Okaloosa County School District joins the Santa Rosa and St. Johns School District's with three high schools each in the top 10 schools in Florida for total cases in students, teachers and staff," Chapman said.

Niceville High School ranks No. 6 in the state with 144 cases, and Fort Walton Beach High School ranks No. 9 with 127 cases, Chapman said.

The top five schools in Okaloosa for COVID-19 cases in students, teachers or staff this school year are Crestview, Niceville, Fort Walton Beach, Choctawhatchee High with 102 and Davidson Middle School with 74, Chapman wrote.

Of the 19 elementary schools, 16 have had 20 or fewer cases to date this school year. Only three other schools, all of them middle schools, report 20 or fewer cases.

"Through Feb. 16, the Okaloosa County School District has had 1,482 COVID-19 cases, of which 1,104 have occurred in students. To date, the average number of contacts per student case is about 11," Chapman reported. "This has resulted in over 12,000 students entering quarantine as close contacts during this school year."

Chapman also reported that 10% of county residents have received one or both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Among those 65 and older, 45% have received at least one shot.

She also said that more than 98% of people receiving their first dose of vaccine through the DOH-Okaloosa vaccination clinics are returning for their second doses.

Chapman also reported a hesitation among some seniors and health care workers to receive either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. The seniors, she said, are worried about the new technology used to create the vaccines. The health care workers fear the vaccines were brought too quickly to market.

She urged anyone eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine to do so.

"It is true that most vaccines take years to come to market. But we faced an extraordinary event with this 100+ year pandemic (a worldwide event) and we had many factors working in our favor. For the past 30 years, medical and scientific research has advanced our knowledge in genetics and the human immune system. We can now determine the genetic map of organisms rapidly, and we have significantly advanced our knowledge of the workings of the human immune system," Chapman wrote.

"By the early days of January 2020, the genetic code of the SARS-COV-2 virus was mapped and publicly shared, at no cost, to all scientists/vaccine researchers in the world," she added. "With the genetic code in hand, scientists and vaccine researchers focused their attention on developing a vaccine for this disease. Years of work was accomplished in weeks to months with the world's experts in vaccine research working together on this task. It was an extraordinary time of global collaboration."

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