The following information is from the Florida Department of Health in Gulf County. Please contact Jessie Wagner Pippin with any questions about the information presented in the update.
PLEASE read the information carefully.
Jessie Wagner Pippin
Public Information Officer
Florida Department of Health in Gulf County
2475 Garrison Ave.
Port Saint Joe, FL 32456
Office Phone: (850) 705-6103
Cell Phone: (850)227-4193
Fax: 850-227-7587
|
|
GULF TESTING NUMBERS STATUS
Number of unduplicated COVID-19 tests so far: 2,915
Number of negative tests: 2,706
Number of positive tests: 205
Please note: The demand for the testing and designated laboratory, may cause a slight delay in reporting as reflected on the Florida COVID-19 Dashboard.
|
|
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
1. Please do not go to work if you are sick. Please do not be around others when you are not feeling well. Stay home. If you think you’ve been exposed to the virus and have symptoms, call your health care provider or health department to get tested.
2. If you test positive for COVID19, please be honest about the people you’ve been in close contact with. Why is this so important? We are trying to interrupt disease spread. Close contacts need to be able to quarantine so that the spread of the virus stops. Your personal information is kept completely confidential. The health department will work closely with you and help reach out to anyone you were in close contact with during your infection period. When someone finds out they need to quarantine, all they hear is “you’ve been identified as a close contact to 2 a positive case.” From there, we provide quarantine guidance to follow and help answer questions about the virus.
4. The quarantine period is important. We need close contacts to a positive case to quarantine for 14 days from the date of their exposure to the positive individual. Getting a test that is negative during the quarantine period does not stop the clock. We have seen many individuals develop infection on the second week of quarantine, so it is really important to stay quarantined for the full 14-day period. Household quarantine can be a little more stretched since it can be very difficult for a positive individual to properly isolate from everyone else. If you live in the same household as a positive case, you need to quarantine while the person is sick and once this individual is no longer infectious, that’s when your quarantine 14 period will start. We explain all of this to every close contact identified and can provide quarantine orders to each individual.
5. I tested positive for COVID19. When can I be around others (no longer infectious)? If you tested positive for COVID19, you need to stay at home and isolate per the guidance provided by public health officials. If you think or know you had COVID-19, and had symptoms, you can be with others after at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared and at least 24 hours has passed with no fever without fever-reducing medication and symptoms have improved. If you tested positive for COVID-19 but had no symptoms, you can be with others after 10 days have passed since your test. If you develop symptoms after testing positive, follow the guidance above that includes fever and symptoms improving. Follow this link to stay tuned on updates: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/endhome-isolation.html Depending on your healthcare provider’s advice and availability of testing, you might get tested to see if you still have COVID-19. (Ex. residents of a nursing home.) If you are tested, you can be around others when you have no fever, respiratory symptoms have improved, and you receive two negative test results in a row, at least 24 hours apart.
|
|
Why did we take out “no longer required to isolate” numbers?
When our counties had very few cases with limited exposure to others, we could track this measure easily.
However, this number is not an appropriate indicator for “recovery” in our counties. It also does not take into consideration the individuals under a 14-day quarantine in our communities after being exposed to a positive individual. Some states and countries measure a case as recovered when a person has had COVID-19 for more than 14 days, while others upon hospital discharge data – neither of which completely capture recovery of the full COVID positive population.
For Daily Gulf County COVID-19 Updates straight to your phone: text GULFCOVID to 888777
Florida Department of Health in Gulf County: 850-227-1276
Florida Department of Health in Franklin County: 850-653-2111
Follow the CDC.gov website for the latest guidance on COVID-19 and check out Floridahealth.gov to keep up with state-specific updates.
|
|
For the full County COVID-19 Data Summary for each county in Florida, please visit:
Scroll to page 47 of the report to review the statistics for Gulf County. Interesting information such as age categories and hospitalizations are listed.
|
|
CATHOLIC CHARITIES - BAY/ GULF/ FRANKLIN COUNTIES:
Financial Emergency/Hardship: 850-763-0475
1. Call First Monday of each month after 9am for screenings
2. An initial screening will take place on the phone to complete the application process and receive an appointment. a. Proof of need will be required: past due utility bill, proof of check stub from place of employment (before and after date affected).
FOOD PANTRY LOCATIONS
- 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the Month-WIG Community Center, 401 Peters St., Port St. Joe
- Farm Share distribution will be the 1st and 3rd Monday of month at 4:00pm. Drive-thru pick up on a first come, first serve.
- Second Harvest of the Big Bend: 2nd Saturday of each month from 9:30-11:30, Honeyville Community Center, 240 Honeyville Park Road. (3 family per vehicle limit – all families do not have to be present to receive food. Please, no children. Prepare for long wait times. Please ensure trunk/bed of vehicle has space available. Do not get out of your vehicle. Lower tailgates/lift trunks prior to turning in.
|
|
An Emergency Declaration of the City of Port St. Joe, Florida; recognizing the National, State and Local State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic; requiring the use of facial covering or mask in public settings within the city limits of Port St. Joe, Florida where CDC social distancing guidelines cannot be followed.
|
|
The CDC has updated strategies and recommendations for employers responding to COVID-19, including those seeking to resume normal or phased business operations. We created a youth screening tool and sent it out to summer youth programs. The questions were modified for the adult workforce. In addition to regular temperature checks, the follow questions can be asked to employees:
Daily Health Questionnaire
- Does you or anyone in your household have any of the following symptoms? (fever 100.4 or above, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, new loss of taste or smell)
- Have you or anyone in the household traveled outside of the country or to any highly affected areas in the United States in the past 14 days?
- Has you had direct contact (within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes) with anyone who has tested positive with COVID-19 within the last 2 weeks?
- Is there anyone in your household under instructions to self-isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19?
|
|
CLOTH FACE COVERS/MASK
If you or someone you love needs a cloth mask, please call 850-340-3016. The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. It is important to note that these face coverings:
• 1. Are not surgical or N-95 respirators, which continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and medical first responders, and
• 2. The use of cloth face coverings does not mean we can remove previously set social distancing measures.
|
|
Although not a 100% guarantee, the use of masks have been proven to dramatically reduce the spread of the virus. People who are infected can spread the virus before they develop symptoms or in the absence of symptoms. Wearing a cloth face covering may help prevent the spread of the virus by people who are infected and do not know it. Use of cloth face coverings continues to be a recommendation
The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of community spread.
Cloth face coverings do not replace other protective measures. CDC still recommends that you stay at least 6 feet away from other people (social distancing), wash your hands frequently, and avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth….and your face covering. Cloth face coverings should not be placed on children under age 2.
|
|
MENTAL HEALTH
COVID-19 have you feeling STRESSED/ANXIOUS/DEPRESSED/UNSURE?
NEED SUPPORT?
CALL 850-270-8911, available 9-5pm EST. If you are in need of immediate mental health services call one of the agencies below available 24/7:
• National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
• SAMSA Disaster Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746
or the Crisis Text Line: Text “HOME” to 741-741
• Florida Blue launched a 24-hour, free emotional support helpline for all Floridians. Any Floridian – even if uninsured or insured by another plan – can call 833-848-1762 for support in managing feelings of stress, anxiety, grief or fear related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Counselors cannot provide information on COVID-19 testing or treatment.
• Big Bend Community Based Care oversees a wide network of community partners in the fields of mental health counseling, substance use disorder treatment and child protective services throughout an 18- county area in Northwest Florida, from Escambia to Madison counties.
Florida residents can call the agency’s hotline at 1-888-95-GetHelp or 1-888-954-3843 at any time, day or night, and staff a member will help connect them to a provider in their community, regardless of whether they have health insurance.
|
|
The Gulf County Court Clerk's office has been working diligently to keep the offices and citizens safe when conducting county business.
Court Clerk, Rebecca L. (Becky) Norris reminds everyone that a mask or face coverings is required to access the court house.
No one will be allowed in without one.
You can save yourself a trip to the court house by using the features at www.gulfclerk.com. Use the How Do I tab on the far right of the page to access easy to follow instructions for activities such as:
Apply for a Marriage License
Bid on a property in Foreclosure
File a Will
Pay a traffic ticket
Look Up Fees and Costs
Contact Related Agencies
Gulf County Court House
1000 Cecil G. Costin, Sr. Blvd.
Port St. Joe, Florida 32456
(850) 229-6112
|
|
There are several ways that you can contact the U.S. Census Bureau for support.
Phone Hours of Operation:
Customer Service Representatives are available every day from 7am to 2am Eastern Time at:
· 844-330-2020
Complete it today online at
Census workers will begin to canvas Gulf County, make sure to take 10 minutes to be counted.
· It's quick and easy. The 2020 Census questionnaire will take about 10 minutes to complete.
· It's safe, secure, and confidential. Your information and privacy are protected.
· Your response helps to direct billions of dollars in federal funds to local communities for schools, roads, and other public services.
· Results from the 2020 Census will be used to determine the number of seats each state has in Congress and your political representation at all levels of government.
|
|
An accurate count is crucial. The results are used to determine how much funding local communities receive for key public services and how many seats each state gets in Congress. State and local officials also use census counts to draw boundaries for congressional, state legislative, and school districts.
|
|
Become a member of the
Gulf County Chamber
TODAY!
|
|
Joe Whitmer
Executive Director
|
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment