Daily Stats (updated 4/27/2020 at 3:30 pm)
- 80 COVID-19 patients isolated in our hospital
- Submitted 9,783 specimens for testing
- Discharged 178 patients
- 183 employees quarantined; 32 employees exposed at work and positive with COVID-19
- Click here for graphs showing a running total of specimens collected for testing and positive cases hospitalized.
Today’s News
A Message from Dr. Larry Antonucci
When it comes to COVID-19, there is still much to be determined, especially regarding antibody testing, immunity, treatment and the creation of a vaccine. There is one thing we know, however, and that is ingesting bleach, Lysol or other cleaners will not protect you from the virus and can cause you to become very sick. Last week, poison control in New York City received 30 calls, and Maryland’s hotline received more than 100 calls. On Friday, the CDC published a memo about the increased calls, citing a 20% increase in calls during the first three months of 2020 to poison control centers due to exposure compared to the same period last year. Right now there is no known cure for COVID-19, so the safest way to protect yourself and others is to continue physical distancing, wearing a mask while in public and practicing good hand hygiene.
New Symptoms Linked to COVID-19
In addition to fever, cough and shortness of breath, the CDC added six new symptoms for COVID-19, including chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell. Anyone who experiences these symptoms should monitor their temperature, self-isolate and seek medical attention if symptoms worsen. The CDC also stresses the emergency warning signs for COVID-19 are trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, confusion or inability to arouse, and bluish lips or face. Those who experience these particular symptoms should seek medical attention immediately.
Be a Hero to your Health Care Hero
National Superhero day is tomorrow, April 28, and we are celebrating our health care heroes with the Be a Hero to your Health Care Hero Facebook event. Join the event to read and share inspirational stories , or post a picture and a note of thanks. If you can, thank our heroes by donating in their honor here, which will give them the resources they need to continue their lifesaving mission.
It’s Mental Health Monday
Join the Kids’ Minds Matter Facebook live series at 6 p.m. today with Jason Sabo, Ph.D., site supervisor at Lee Health’s Pediatric Behavioral Health practice. Dr. Sabo specializes in child and adolescent psychology. This evening, he will share strategies to create consistency in a time of uncertainty, how to differentiate between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and normal childhood behaviors, and he will teach healthy habits that can improve overall functioning in the home. Watch the live stream, entitled “Calming the Storm: Virtual Learning & Staying at Home with ADHD,” here.
Dr. Scott Wolf and Fort Myers Police Department Featured on FOX & Friends
The Fort Myers Police Department’s big-hearted gesture to our health care heroes captured the hearts of millions around the world. Last Saturday, Scott Wolf D.O, vice president of operations & chief physician executive at Lee Health, Lieutenant Roger Valdivia and Officer Kristin Capuzzi with the FMPD, discussed the emotional salute on FOX & Friends on Fox News Channel. Click here to watch their interview.
~31,290 positive cases in Florida residents and 848 positive cases in non-Florida residents~
TALLAHASSEE — Today, the Florida Department of Health announced that the list of long-term care facilities in Florida associated with COVID-19 cases will now include active cases 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. To date, 319 individuals that were staff or residents of a long-term care facility have died.
The Florida Department of Health, in order to provide more comprehensive data, releases a report on COVID-19 cases in Florida once per day. The Florida Department of Health COVID-19 dashboard is also providing updates once per day. The state also provides a report detailing surveillance data for every Florida county. Previously, this information was only available for select communities. The surveillance data report is available here.
Today, as of 11 a.m., there are 610 new positive COVID-19 cases (610 Florida residents and 0 non-Florida residents) and fourteen deaths related to COVID-19. There are a total of 32,138 Florida cases** with 1,088 deaths related to COVID-19.
While Florida’s testing has increased over the past week, the percent of those testing positive for COVID-19 overall is 9 percent. On April 26, six percent of new cases** tested positive.
Since 11 a.m. on April 26, fourteen people have died who tested positive for COVID-19 in Broward, Dade, Duval, Hernando, Leon, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas and Volusia counties.
Florida recently partnered with private laboratories around the state to expand COVID-19 laboratory testing capacity. This partnership will increase the number of tests conducted each day and ensure Floridians receive the critical health information they need in a timely manner.
Expansion to private laboratories changes the COVID-19 testing landscape in Florida. Private laboratories are running tests as they receive swab samples from practitioners. Testing and reporting times vary among commercial and DOH laboratories. Demographic information may be updated during investigations. These twice daily reports reflect the state’s efforts to accurately and transparently share information.
World Health Organization Update
SITUATION IN NUMBERS total (new) cases in last 24 hours
(last updated 10:00 AM CET 4/27/2020)
198 668 deaths (4982)
5958 deaths (15)
124 525 deaths (2307)
1824 deaths (77)
6991 deaths (104)
58 492 deaths (2453)
865 deaths (26)
- The WHO Regional Office for the Americas has published a document providing
guidance regarding the operation of immunization programs in the context of the
COVID-19 pandemic. More information is available here. - The Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare of Spain has recently
changed its criteria for reporting COVID-19 cases to include only those with positive
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results. This has resulted in a retrospective
decrease of 12,130 cases. Spain will continue to report only new PCR positive
cases. - An update on Emergency Medical Teams, the Global Health Cluster, the Global
Outbreak Alert and Response Network, and Risk Communications and Community
Engagement is provided in today’s ‘Subject in Focus’ below.