June 2, 2020

DOH-Walton Community COVID 19 Testing

Contact:

Patti Roberts, PIO Patricia.roberts@flhealth.gov 850-401-6353

DeFuniak Springs, Fla. The Florida Department of Health in Walton County in conjunction with community partners Walton Community Health Clinic, Walton County Emergency Management, Walton County School District, Point Washington Medical Clinic, South Walton Fire District, Walton County Fire Rescue, Matrix Community Outreach Center, City of DeFuniak Springs, and Doc Smiley’s Urgent Care conducted 4 drive through COVID19 testing sites across the County .

“We are pleased with the community response and were able to collect 1259 tests from our community testing sites at Santa Rosa Beach, Freeport, DeFuniak Springs and Paxton,” said Holly Holt, Health Officer and Administrator.  “We contracted with a private laboratory and our tests were hand delivered to the lab for processing.  The tests from these 4 sites resulted in 6 positives.”  All persons who participated in the testing were called within seven days with their test information and the epidemiological staff began working immediately with those who tested positive to begin contract tracing.

The Mossy Head community testing for COVID19 is scheduled for June 4, 2020 in from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. 

We encourage all Floridians to take the COVID-19 Community Action Survey by visiting www.StrongerThanC19.com

COVID-19 symptoms and treatment
The symptoms of COVID-19 can mirror illnesses such as influenza. Patients with COVID-19 typically display symptoms such as fever (100.4°F or higher), cough, and/or shortness of breath within 2 to 14 days of exposure to the virus. Approximately 80% of those affected with COVID-19 report mild to moderate illness and experience a complete recovery. Some experience more severe illness. People who are more vulnerable to the illness include individuals who are over age 65 with underlying health conditions, immunocompromised, ill or have underlying chronic health conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes. Many cases of COVID-19 can be managed at home by treating symptoms, and this is encouraged. However, if you develop worsening symptoms, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, or inability to drink fluids, contact 911 and advise them of your symptoms as you may need treatment at a hospital.

What you can do to protect you and your family at Home

• Continue to practice good hand washing. Cover coughs and sneezes. Stay home from work if you are sick and keep children home from school when sick.
• Remind family members not to touch their faces.
• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces like doorknobs, tables and handrails.
• Open windows or adjust air conditioning to increase ventilation
• Treat vulnerable family members, such as those over the age of 65 or with chronic medical conditions, as though others are a threat to them. Practice good hygiene when caring for them. If they are sick, provide them with their own room, and keep the door closed.

What you can do at work

• Good hand hygiene is as important at work as it is at home. Encourage employees to clean hands at the door and send email reminders to clean hands throughout the day.
• Stop shaking hands. Use other, non-contact methods of greeting customers and coworkers.
• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
• Open windows or adjust air conditioning to increase ventilation.
• Consider videoconferencing for meetings whenever possible. When not possible, hold meetings in open, well-ventilated spaces.
• Assess the risks of business travel.
• Handle food carefully and limit food sharing.
• Ensure cafeteria staff and their close contacts practice strict hygiene.
• Allow employees to stay home if they are sick or have a sick family member.

Businesses

Encourage employees and customers to:

• Stop shaking hands. Use non-contact methods of greeting.
• Clean hands at the door and send employees email reminders to clean hands throughout the day.
• Promote tap and pay to limit handling of cash.
• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
• Open windows or adjust air conditioning to increase ventilation.
• Avoid crowding by booking appointments to stagger customer flow.

Consider wearing a face covering

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,” writes the CDC.

Cloth face coverings can help prevent those who may have COVID-19 and not know it from spreading the virus to those around them.

“Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure,” writes the CDC. “The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.”

For more Information on COVID-19
The Joint Information Center on COVID-19 for the State of Florida is also issuing regular updates daily. Updated information can also be found at https://walton.floridahealth.gov/, www.floridahealth.gov and www.cdc.gov or you can call the COVID-19 Call Center (866) 779- 6121 24/7 or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov. The Florida Department of Health has launched a COVID-19 dashboard that will be updated daily with specific County information more information on daily case by case can be found on daily report https://floridadisaster.org/covid19/. Expansion to private laboratories has changed 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 epidemiological investigations. These daily reports reflect the state’s efforts to accurately and transparently share information. 

DOH-Walton has also initiated the use of Nextdoor application for
Public Agencies, to share information with Walton County residents.
For more information and/or to sign up visit Nextdoor.com.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @HealthyFla. For more information about the Florida Department of Health, please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov .

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