Taylor has 2nd positive case

Posted on April 22, 2020

By CAITLYN BURCHETT / Staff Writer

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) confirmed Taylor County’s second positive coronavirus (COVID-19) case — one of which is linked to a long-term health care facility. According to Monday’s 11 a.m. DOH update, a 60-year-old Taylor County female has tested positive for the coronavirus. Local officials reported that the individual is isolated and receiving care.

Monday’s 11 a.m. DOH update also provided a comprehensive list of long-term care facilities that are known to have (or have had) at least one positive COVID-19 case, as well as a list of counties with cases linked to long-term care facilities.

According to the DOH, one of Taylor County’s positive cases is a staff member or a resident of a long-term care facility.

As of press time Tuesday, Marshall Health and Rehabilitation officials confirmed the local facility has no known cases of COVID-19 at this time and are continuing to follow all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidelines to safeguard the local facility against the virus.

“During these unprecedented times, we are deeply committed to the safety and protection of our staff and residents; our on-going commitment to communication with our residents and their families, our staff, and local and state healthcare officials remains immediate and unwavering. Our dedicated caregivers are working night and day, often leaving their own families to care for our family of residents, and we thank them for their service and heroic efforts,” Vice President Jennifer Trapp said. said.

“If families have concerns about their loved one, we encourage them to contact the care center directly,” Trapp continued.

According to DOH-Taylor Public Information Office Young, testing criteria is at the discretion of the facility and/or a private provider.

“Many long-term care facilities have taken it upon themselves to conduct tests on all staff members and residents once a positive case is linked to their facility; however, this is not required,” Young said.

While Marshall Health and Rehabilitation is not presently on DOH’s list, two long-term care facilities from neighboring counties are, including Lake Park of Madison Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Madison County and Cross Landings Health and Rehabilitation Center of Jefferson County.

Taylor County’s first positive test was returned on a 29-year-old female, who resides in Taylor County, on April 8. It has now been 14 days since her positive test result was confirmed.

According to Young, when a person tests positive, they receive a daily phone call by DOH epidemiology staff for a total of 14 days to monitor their symptoms. This begins at either the date of the confirmed positive or the date of their exposure, if known.

Once the 14-day monitoring is completed, the patient receives a letter of clearance. If they are still showing symptoms, they will remain under monitoring until they are symptom free for three days without medication.

“At this time, we do not conduct a second test. This is within the CDC guidelines for non-test-based strategy,” Young said.

At this time, the DOH does not provide a comprehensive list of confirmed cases that have recovered.

According to Young, the DOH operates within an electronic reporting system known as MERLIN, which acts as an electronic database for all reportable diseases.

“This is where we receive our information regarding any reportable disease. Once a person and their results are within that system, it never goes away. For example, if John Smith tests positive for COVID-19, we will still be able to go into MERLIN and see that result in five years,” Young explained.

According to figures released by the DOH at 11 a.m. Tuesday, 179 people in Taylor County had been tested for coronavirus (COVID-19) – up 40 tests from 139 on Thursday.

Of the completed tests, 177 have been returned negative for coronavirus, with two tests having been returned positive. There are currently no pending tests.

All four of Taylor County’s direct neighbors – Jefferson, Madison, Dixie and Lafayette – have also had at least one confirmed case.

To date, Jefferson has tested 125 people.

Jefferson has the highest infection rate of Taylor County’s direct neighbors with 26 positive COVID-19 cases. As a result, five people have been hospitalized.

Jefferson County was also one of the first counties in the Big Bend region to report a coronavirus-related death, as health officials say a 93-year-old woman diagnosed with COVID-19 on April 15 died.

Madison is following closely behind Jefferson with 25 positive cases, an increase of nine since Thursday. Of the 25 positive cases, Madison has reported one death and three hospitalizations. Test results have been returned on 189 people, with 19 tests pending.

In Dixie, 165 people had been tested, yielding four positive test results – an increase from the three positive cases reported Thursday. Two of the four positive cases have been hospitalized. One test is outstanding.

With 55 tests completed and zero pending tests, Lafayette has confirmed one positive coronavirus case. Lafayette is the only county in the area with just one confirmed case.

Statewide, Florida has surpassed 27,495 cases as of Tuesday’s 11 a.m. update. Of those 27,495, more than 4,000 have been hospitalized and 839 had died as a result of COVID-19. The number of new cases reported in Florida each day appears to have leveled off over the past two weeks, however around 1,000 new cases are still being reported each day.

According to the most recent report issued by the DOH, the largest number of new cases reported in a single day over the past two weeks was on April 16 with 1,229 cases. Since then, the number has ranged from a low of 608 on April 14 to a high of 1,229 on April 16.

Of the seven most recent days with complete data, new positive tests have numbered: 934 (April 15), 1,229 (April 16), 1,110 (April 17), 765 (April 18), 738 (April 19) and 778 (April 20).

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