Florida not releasing information about suspected 2019-nCov coronavirus cases citing confidentiality when it did report Zika cases with regular update

[sharon sanders]

February 4, 2020


snip

Gov. Ron DeSantis casually dribbled out a little information two weeks ago during a press event at Omni Middle School in Boca Raton, where he was touting an expansion of speech and debate programs in schools.

“Everybody to this date that has been tested has come back negative,” he said.

snip

Using “patient privacy” as an excuse to tamp down information on a virus well on its way to becoming a pandemic says more about tourism than public safety in Florida.

more....

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/2...s-state-secret

 

[Pathfinder]

Manatee and Sarasota Health Departments aren’t talking about coronavirus

By Michael Moore Jr.
Staff Writer
Posted at 5:21 PM

Christopher Tittl, communications director for the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County, said in a phone call with the Herald-Tribune that he would not comment on coronavirus and suggested calling the Florida Department of Health.

A similar response was received when attempting to reach the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County about the virus.

“Locally, we have been asked to send all questions regarding coronavirus to our state communication office for a response. I have CCed them on this email, but feel free to reach out to them directly at 850-245-4111. All the best Steve,” read an email from Steve Huard, public information officer for DOH-Sarasota, on Friday.

But the state is not talking either...

https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/...artments-arenrsquot-talking-about-coronavirus

 

[kiwibird]

http://enewspaper.sun-sentinel.com/...spx?guid=009c4b25-f5b2-421d-8477-f673203f57ea

Rivkees: ‘If there is a confirmed case, we will make the public aware’

By Cindy Krischer Goodman





Despite suspected cases, Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said the state has no confirmed patients with the 2019 Novel Coronavirus that has killed more than a thousand people in China.

Twelve days ago, Broward County had a patient tested for coronavirus at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood. Test results have been taking three to five days at the main U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory in Atlanta. Rivkees would not talk about patients under investigation in Broward County or elsewhere in the state — repeating only that there are “no confirmed cases,” indicating that the Broward case and likely others elsewhere in Florida have come back negative.

The federal agency has tested nearly 400 people, and all but 13 in the United States have been negative. In addition, 60 specimens are on the way to the CDC or awaiting testing as of Wednesday. More than 1,000 people have died, and only one death has been outside of China (in the Philippines).

Some states are providing information on pending cases and results. Health lawyers say Florida has chosen not to, but Rivkees told the South Florida Sun Sentinel this week that coronavirus had not risen to the threshold in Florida in which his department needed to reveal information on pending cases: It’s not highly infectious, nor is there spread of the virus in the United States or concern about identifying persons who may in contact with individuals infected, he said.

“If there is a confirmed case, we will make the public aware,” Rivkees said.

Going forward, suspected cases should become faster to verify — although it is unclear just when that will happen. Florida received CDC test kits for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus at its centralized labs in Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa but can’t use them yet because the tests may not be working correctly.

The kits were supposed to allow trained local health officials to confirm cases themselves rather than waiting for the results from an overburdened lab in Atlanta. While verifying their accuracy, some states found the kits had “inconclusive results.” Federal authorities will determine which states can continue using the kits they received and which will need new ones.

... snip

 

[Treyfish]

[h=1]Florida officials mum on coronavirus tests of state residents[/h]
....Earlier this week Florida health officials received testing kits for the virus, but it’s still unclear whether the tests work.

State health officials are currently sending specimens to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab in Atlanta and waiting for results, which can take three to five days. That lab is handling specimens from across the country.

Rivkees says he hopes to have lab testing available at the state’s labs in Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami, but the kits that were issued were tainted and have to be remade and reissued.

“In the meantime, the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) will perform all testing,” he said.

At a U.S. Senate committee hearing last week, former federal health officials said state health departments should not be relying on sending specimens to federal labs and waiting days for the results to come back. Florida Sen. Rick Scott said Tuesday he has received briefings from federal agencies and blamed the lack of coronavirus knowledge on unreliable information from Chinese health officials.

“It’s so wrong how China is handling this,” Scott told reporters on Tuesday morning at a mail distribution facility in Miami. “I think what you’ve seen is both the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the (National Institutes of Health) have been more transparent as this has gone along. The problem that they do have is that the Chinese government is not transparent, so whatever you’re getting out of China, you’ve got to take with a grain of salt.”

In response to questions about what the U.S. Surgeon General has told Florida health officials to prepare for potential spread, Scott explained federal agencies “don’t have enough information” on the spread of the virus.....:tiphat:https://www.tampabay.com/florida-po...-mum-on-coronavirus-tests-of-state-residents/

 

[sharon sanders]

I hope there is a tribunal.

 

[sharon sanders]

Updated Florida Department of Health website on February 18 -

[h=1]COVID-19[/h]


The World Health Organization made an announcement Feb. 11 that the official name for the illness caused by the new coronavirus (previously known as 2019 Novel Coronavirus or 2019-nCoV) is now COVID-19.

The Florida Department of Health (Department) is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to closely monitor the current outbreak of COVID-19 and is actively working to ensure that the most up-to-date CDC guidance is quickly and accurately disseminated to local partners. Though no cases have been reported in Florida to date, the Department is coordinating closely with our local partners to investigate, confirm, contain and report any suspected cases, should they occur.

For the best available information regarding COVID-19, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html.

• CDC–COVID-19
  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html.
• CDC–Symptoms and Diagnosis
  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/about/symptoms.html.
• CDC–Situation Summary
  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html.
• WHO–COVID-19
  https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

What You Need to Know

There are no cases of 2019-nCoV in Florida.

---

What Travelers Need to Know

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to China.

---

Guidance for Businesses

The following interim guidance may help prevent workplace exposures to acute respiratory illnesses, including 2019-nCoV.

---

Guidance for Health Care Providers

This page includes interim guidance for health care professionals on human infections with 2019 novel coronavirus.

---

Connect with DOH

Last Modified Date: Feb 18, 2020, 3:13:59 PM


http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19/index.html

 

[Pathfinder]

[h=1]COVID-19[/h]

Protect yourself and your community from COVID-19. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Avoid close contact with people who are sick, and stay home when you are sick.

The CDC clinical criteria for COVID-19 Person(s) Under Investigation (PUI) were developed utilizing the most current available information regarding this novel virus, as well as what is known about Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). These criteria are subject to change as additional information becomes available.

On February 27, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their criteria to guide the evaluation of PUIs to include additional affected geographic areas with widespread or sustained community transmission:

Updated February 26, 2020

• China
• Iran
• Italy
• Japan
• South Korea

On February 28, 2020, World Health Organization officials upgraded their global risk assessment of the novel coronavirus’s potential for further spread and impact from "high" to "very high." [TABLE="border: 1"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 410, colspan: 2"]2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Florida Test Results[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 205"]Positive (confirmed)[/TD]
[TD="width: 205"]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 205"]PUIs Pending Results[/TD]
[TD="width: 205"]5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 205"]Negative[/TD]
[TD="width: 205"]15[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 205"]Total Identified[/TD]
[TD="width: 205"]20[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]



The number of people under public health monitoring includes those at risk of having been exposed to novel coronavirus who are monitoring their health under the supervision of public health officials. This number also includes close contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases, as well as people who have returned from China in the past 14 days.

[TD="width: 410"]Number of People Under Public Health Monitoring[/TD]

[TD="width: 410"]173[/TD]

The Florida Department of Health (Department) is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the current outbreak of COVID-19 and is actively working to ensure that the most up-to-date CDC guidance is quickly and accurately disseminated to local partners. Though no cases have been reported in Florida to date, the Department is coordinating with our local partners to investigate, confirm, contain and report any suspected cases, should they occurr.

For information from the CDC and the World Health Organization on COVID-19, please visit:

• CDC Coronavirus Disease 2019
  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html.
• CDC Symptoms
  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/about/symptoms.html.
• CDC Situation Summary
  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html.
• WHO COVID-19 Outbreak
  https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

...
http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19/

 

[sharon sanders]

Rick Scott
@SenRickScott
? 2h
I am extremely concerned about the #Coronavirus outbreak, and the impact it is having in Florida. I’ve written to @DHS_Wolf, @CDCDirector, FAA Administrator & Santa Rosa & Lee County Health Departments requesting info on the cases of Coronavirus-related deaths in those counties.

6
18You Retweeted

 

[sharon sanders]

hat tip Connor



On Friday night Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood released a list of 20 potential coronavirus cases in the county and the cities where they’re being monitored.

“An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.”

That’s how Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood began his Facebook post late Friday night when he revealed there are currently 20 potential coronavirus cases in the county.

snip

“If you don’t put info out there you are creating a panic,” Chitwood said. “I know that they were adamant against anybody knowing what they were doing. They didn’t want people to know that we (first responders) were given that information. I don’t understand what the issue is.”


more...


https://www.news-journalonline.com/n...-volusia-cases