This post will be updated today, Monday, July 20, and through the week with the latest information on COVID-19 in South Florida.
WLRN staff continues to add to community resource lists, including this article on where kids and families can get food while schools are closed, and this post about whether and where to get tested for coronavirus.
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The dedicated website for the Florida Department of Health, including information about symptoms and numbers of cases, can be found here.
The dedicated website from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be found here.
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QUICK UPDATES
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 Setting New Records Across South Florida
Updated Monday at 4:30 p.m.
Miami-Dade County hit a new record high Sunday for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and admitted to intensive care units, according to Florida International University’s Covid-19 Trajectory Report.
The report is compiled by a team from FIU, Baptist Health and the University of Miami.
Across the county, 2,225 patients fighting the virus were hospitalized and 504 were being treated in ICUs. That’s nearly three times the number hospitalized and four times the number of ICU patients than on May 18, the day the county reopened. The number of patients on ventilators also hit a new record at 282, the report said.
“Taken together, this evidence points to increased community spread of COVID-19 in Miami-Dade County and represents a significant concern for the area,” the team reported.
They say as cases could pose a significant strain on hospital resources. The team also looked at numbers in Broward and Palm Beach counties and noted new records set in those two counties. Broward County hit 1,261 hospitalizations on Sunday. Of those, 261 patients were in ICUs, just one shy of the record set on July 15. In Palm Beach County, 672 people were hospitalized and 146 were in ICUs.
The report noted that Miami-Dade has 9,455 beds available while Broward has 6,816 and Palm Beach County has 4,288.
While numbers were up in Broward, the percentage of patients needing hospitalization was actually down — just below 25 percent compared to 35 percent in early April. That’s likely the result of better treatment, the report said. In Palm Beach, the proportion of positive cases remained lower than April — 6 percent compared to about 15 percent — but was starting to creep up.
In Miami-Dade County, the positivity rate continues to soar, averaging 20 percent and well above the 5 percent limit set for reopening.
To read more about the report, go to https://rwilli5.github.io/MiamiCovidProject/
— Jenny Staletovich/WLRN News
OneBlood Asks For Plasma Donations For Experimental COVID-19 Treatment
Updated Monday at 3:30 p.m.
OneBlood is asking Floridians to donate plasma that some doctors are using to treat patients who are severely ill with COVID-19.
“As coronavirus cases surge, the need for convalescent plasma is reaching extraordinary levels,” said George “Bud” Scholl, OneBlood president and Sunny Isles Beach mayor, during a news conference Monday. “OneBlood is currently experiencing over a 500-percent increase in demand for hospital orders.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued guidance for this therapy. Convalescent plasma is the blood from the people who’ve recovered from an illness, like COVID-19. It contains antibodies, proteins that fight off disease.
Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke at the news conference, too.
“One of the best things you could do, if you’re someone who has recovered from COVID-19, is to donate blood,” DeSantis said during the news conference. “Your plasma will be able to be used to help other patients.”
DeSantis continued to tout the state’s efforts at expanded coronavirus testing, particularly antibody testing. Health experts say it’s not clear whether antibodies confer any kind of immunity.
Researchers are also looking into whether giving patients convalescent plasma gives their a immune system a boost against COVID-19.
“We’ve been using it since the outbreak of the epidemic and we’re finding it that we have very positive results from it,” said Dr. Rita Reik, OneBlood chief medical officer. “They’re not published yet. The analyses are still being done, but we’re very encouraged by what we see.”
Studies are underway on how effective convalescent plasma therapy is in treating COVID-19. Some people might not benefit at all, according to the Mayo Clinic.
— Alexander Gonzalez/WLRN News
Monroe County Commission To Consider Further Restrictions, Requesting Lobster Mini-Season Cancelation
Updated Monday at 2:30 p.m.
The Monroe County Commission is holding an emergency meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday to discuss additional restrictions that will help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Monroe County Mayor Heather Carruthers said the commission will discuss changing their plan for allowing vacation rentals. Last week, Miami Beach ordered the closure of short term rentals.
"It does seem that a lot of the problems that we're having are stemming from vacation rentals," Carruthers said.
The commission will also consider asking the state to cancel lobster mini-season, planned for July 29-30. That event usually brings thousands of people to the Keys. Commissioners will also discuss whether to close some public facilities during and after mini-season, and asking hotels to reduce occupancy.
"Those are the things that we're talking about right now. Cause we're not seeing this going in the right direction," Carruthers said.
The village of Islamorada has already requested that the state cancel mini-season. It's also closing public boat ramps, parks and the causeway known as the Fills from Friday through Aug. 8.
Monroe County has ordered restaurants and bars to close at 11 p.m. from Friday through Aug. 19. All alcohol sales at stores are also banned from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. during that period.
— Nancy Klingener/WLRN News
Statewide Coronavirus Cases Pass 360,000
Updated Monday at 12:45 p.m.
Florida surpassed 360,000 positive cases of COVID-19 as Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 10,347 cases of COVID-19 on Monday. Florida has a total of 360,394 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Monday's update also included the announcement of 90 new deaths, increasing the statewide number to 5,072.
-WLRN News