Flagler has seen 157 new cases in the last seven days, a quarter of its total since March and by far the most accelerated pace of new infections since the pandemic began, with a positivity rate of 10.6 percent. The largest study to date on the subject finds that older school-children are just as likely to be infectious as adults.
Flagler County Health Department
Conspiracy Theories Aside, Here’s What Contact Tracers Really Do
Contact tracing is the public health practice of informing people when they’ve been exposed to a contagious disease. As it has become more widely employed across the country, it has also become mired in modern political polarization and conspiracy theories.
50-Year-Old Man Is Flagler’s 2nd Covid Death in 2 Days as Florida Sets Another Single-Day Fatality Record: 156
Flagler County has seen a surge of 102 cases in the last five days in tandem with a continuing surge in the state, with local residents complaining of long delays in getting Covid-19 test results.
6th Covid Death in Flagler; Florida’s Fatalities Surge and Cases Exceed 300,000; School District Announces Remote Option
Flagler County is coming to terms with a situation more serious than some officials–more particularly, a few county elected officials–have acknowledged, with the school district on Tuesday announcing what amounts to a return to remote instruction for all those who want it come Aug. 10.
Explicitly Rejecting ‘Mandate,’ Flagler County Commission ‘Strongly Encourages’ Use of Masks Indoors
Last week Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell all approved mask mandates but without enforcement provisions. Commissioners rejected the use of the word, saying it would not be enforceable.
Flagler Department of Health Expands Covid-19 Testing to Six Sites
The new sites are drive-up or walk-up and do not require appointments or particular symptoms. They are compelled by an ongoing surge in coronavirus cases in Florida, and in Flagler County, where the number of cases has doubled since the state went to Phase 2 of reopening on June 5.
Make Masks Mandatory Anywhere Public
As Covid-19 infections continue to surge, Palm Coast, Flagler County and all other local governments should do what Orange and Osceola counties have already done: make masks mandatory anywhere public, including shops and restaurants.
Flagler Sets New Infection Record With 90 in a Week, Florida Sets New Single-Day Record With 11,458
Flagler’s total broke the previous record of 61 set at the end of April, with almost half the county’s cumulative total infections occurring since Phase 2 reopening. Palm Coast Mayor Holland still intends to pursue a mask mandate after administrative officials on Friday said they would not.
Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and County Leaders Will Seek Mask Mandate as Covid Infections Keep Surging
As coronavirus infections continue to surge, Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland, Flagler Beach Commission Chair Jane Mealy and County Commission Chair Dave Sullivan will be asking their respective governments to approve a mandatory mask mandate in coming days.
Blaming Covid Spike on Young People and Bars, DeSantis Sends Mixed Messages on ‘Way Forward’
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday the state is “trying to figure out a way forward” for bars, nightclubs and craft breweries that are essentially having to shut down again because of “widespread non-compliance” with coronavirus guidelines.
Covid-19 Total Nears 10,000 in Florida; Half Of State’s 132,500 Cases Reported in Last 17 Days
The Florida Department of Health today reported 9,636 new Covid-19 cases as of Friday, again shattering a record, the last set only the day before, when just under 8,900 cases were reported. Flagler recorded 60 new cases in seven days.
Consequences of Florida’s Careless Reopening: 8,933 Cases in 1 Day; Surge Reaches Flagler With 50 Cases in 6 Days
The numbers are a grim reflection of the consequences of Florida’s rapid and largely haphazard and careless reopening of society and the economy since the end of April, and of dangerous complacency among residents.
Republican Leaders File Suit Challenging Leon County’s Mandatory Mask Rule
Calling it a “radical infringement” of constitutional rights, the head of the Republican Party in Leon County teamed with a conservative state representative Thursday to challenge a local ordinance requiring people to wear face coverings to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Flagler’s Covid Numbers Spike by 26 in 4 Days Even as Testing Slows; Florida Sees Record 5,500 in 1 Day
After rising by 20 cases last week, the highest total since the end of May, Flagler County has recorded another 26 Covid-19 infections in the first four days of this week, while Florida cases continue to break records, turning the state into a leading national hot spot.
Easy To Say ‘Get Tested.’ Harder To Do. Here’s How.
The challenge is to get tested for Covid-19 in a way that will yield useful information. And if you’re tested too early in the course of infection, the test might not detect it. That could give false reassurance.
Staffer at Grand Oaks and Resident at Tuscan Gardens Test Positive; Florida Cases Again Soar to New Record
The Covid cases at local long-term care facilities break a streak of negative testing as Flagler officials wearily eye surging numbers around the county and plan some strategies to keep Flagler’s low.
18% of Florida’s Total Covid Cases Have Been Recorded Just in Last 7 Days in ‘Astronomical’ Spike
Flagler County public health, emergency and government officials are concerned about sharply rising Covid-19 numbers across the state, even though locally numbers have been kept in check for now. But Gov. Ron DeSantis says there is no rolling-back on reopenings.
What Flagler County Schools May Look Like as They Plan to Reopen Aug. 10
Flagler County schools plan to reopen on time on Aug. 10 for the 2020-21 school-year, but state recommendations issued today mean campuses will be vastly different, more restrictive places than students, parents and staff are used to.
Child Vaccination Rate Drops Sharply, Worrying Pediatricians of Public Health Consequences
While a growing number of people are refusing to vaccinate their children in Florida, Some attributed the precipitous drop to the cancellation of pediatrician appointments during the pandemic.
Mask-Wearing Is Not About Personal Liberty but Communal Health, Palm Coast Town Hall Experts Say
Is wearing a mask in public too much to ask for as Palm Coast and Flagler reopen? Does it infringe on individuals’ liberties? Two physicians, the Flagler Health Department’s chief and Palm Coast’s fire chief give an unequivocal No.
Palm Coast’s Grand Oaks Rehab Rejects Health Department’s Testing of Patients and Staff, Then Relents
After its corporate office overrode local resistance, Grand Oaks Rehab in Palm Coast agreed to have its 100 patients and 100 staff members tested for Covid-19 next week. The Flagler Health Department’s strike teams conducted 200 tests today at two other large nursing home facilities.
Flagler Health Officials Pledge to Keep Up Covid Testing as AdventHealth Phases Out Drive-Up Sites
There is some confusion about how much testing should take place–2 percent of the population per month or overall–and whether it will be available to the extent recommended as society reopens. The guideline from the federal government of testing 2 percent is a monthly goal, not an overall goal.
Flagler Health Department and Palm Coast Mayor Recognize Heroes of a Pandemic: Nurses
The Flagler Health Department is joining Palm Coast and thousands of organizations across the country in celebrating National Nurses Week starting today and through From May 6 through May 12.
Flagler’s Covid-19 Deaths Rise to 4 But New Positive Cases Slow as Broader-Criteria Testing Increases
Flagler’s deaths add to a statewide tally approaching 1,500 as one of the models most closely watched by state and federal officials revised significantly upward its estimate of deaths for Florida now that the state has begun reopening.
Reality Check: What Antibody Studies Can Tell You — and More Importantly, What They Can’t
Coronavirus antibody studies and what they allegedly show have triggered fierce debates, further confusing public understanding, especially about fallacies about herd immunity. Here is some clarity and fact-checking around these crucial surveys.
Anti-Vaccine Activists Latch Onto Coronavirus To Bolster Their Movement
While most of the world hungers for a vaccine to put an end to the death and economic destruction wrought by COVID-19, some anti-vaccine groups are joining with anti-lockdown protesters to challenge restrictions aimed at protecting public health.
Flagler Beach and County Reopen Beaches 24 Hours Sunday Morning, Maintaining Limits on Activities
Flagler County and Flagler Beach have agreed to reopen all 18 miles of beach in the county 24 hours starting Sunday at 7 a.m., while maintaining restrictions only on certain activities on the beach: “for leisure, no, for exercise, yes,” as Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney put it this afternoon.
Confirmed Flagler Covid-19 Increase By 28 in One Day, to 106, But Local Hospitalizations Still ‘Stable’
Flagler County added 28 confirmed Covid-19 cases in a single day today, by far the largest single-day tally of new cases, for a total of 106. But there does not appear to be an equivalent increase in hospitalizations.
“We’re Not Opening Up The County,” Commission Chairman Cautions as Beaches Partially Reopen
The Flagler County Commission and Flagler Beach reopened their beaches partially starting Wednesday, but officials’ cautions against a premature, broader reopening are not all on the same page.
American Carnage: How Donald Trump Is Killing Us
The coronavirus has mutated into ideological variants. We are moving from a natural disaster to a man-made one, from statistically unavoidable deaths to deaths willed by indifference, ignorance, selfishness, and the political calculations of a single man. The consequences will compound rather than mitigate the pandemic.
Covid-19 Advice: 7 Lessons America’s Governors Should Not Ignore as They Reopen Economies
We spoke to frontline experts from around the globe and have compiled a list of recommendations for reopening U.S. states. Their consensus? It’s tough to find policies that simultaneously save lives and livelihoods.
The Risk Is Too Great to Reopen Palm Coast So Soon: An Open Letter from City Leaders
Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland, City Manager Matt Morton and Fire Chief Jerry Forte explain why the city is maintaining recommended restrictions to suppress the coronavirus and why “we must remain steadfast in our approach and see this through to the end.”
Caving to Pressure, Flagler Beach and the County Plan to Reopen Beaches on Limited Basis Next Week
After sustaining intense pressure from residents and from county officials, and with beaches reopened to the north and south, Flagler Beach plans to re-open its beach on a limited basis starting Monday morning, as would the county.
Florida Infections Spike to Near Peak Again, Flagler Cases at 52; St. Johns Reopens Beaches Partially
Flagler County Covid-19 cases are expected to spike a little because of increased testing; AdventHealth Palm Coast’s ICU capacity at 28 percent and total capacity at 30 percent. Flagler County government defends its decision to open some trails as St. Johns opens its beaches for four hours a day, with limited use.
Covid-19 Peak Pushed Back to May 3; In Flagler, 47 Are Tested at Drive-Up Site and 400 Households Get Food Aid
More details about the first Covid-19 infection affecting a Flagler staffer at a nursing home as the county begins drive-up testing, officials warn relaxing distancing measures, and Palm Coast launches its Rise-Up Palm Coast initiative.
Flagler County’s Teachers Union Joins Call on Governor To Keep Schools Closed For Rest of the Year
Flagler County Education Association President Katie Hansen said today she was “absolutely” behind the state education association president’s call on Gov. Ron DeSantis to keep schools closed for the remainder of the year, for the safety of students, staff and families.
Covid-19 Tempers: How Palm Coast Residents With No Prior Records Are Ending Up In Jail on Domestic Violence Charges
Even as the sheriff stresses de-escalation before arrests, ordinary family members are losing tempers and acting violently at home in collateral consequences of the coronavirus emergency, as this weekend’s repeated examples from Palm Coast illustrate.
How and When to Wear a Mask, and How Not To
Whether to wear a mask or not to protect against Covid-19, in what circumstances, and in what manners. Here’s what’s known and recommended in those regards as of mid-April.
Second Flagler Resident Dies of Covid-19; Had Been at AdventHealth’s ICU
A second Flagler County resident has died of Covid-19, Flagler Health Department Chief Bob Snyder said this morning. The resident had been in treatment at AdventHealth Palm Coast hospital’s intensive care unit, and died in the early hours of on Easter Sunday.
Florida Seeing Over 1,000 New Infections a Day as Federal, State and Local Officials Send Clashing Messages
The largest spike of coronavirus cases yet in Flagler-Palm Coast was on Thursday, with seven cases confirmed just that day, for a total of 44. Most of the new cases are the result of local, or community, transmission.
‘When It Starts Getting Into Your Local Hospital, It Becomes Real’
Communities nationwide must fight their own coronavirus battles, leaving local hospitals to make do with limited staffing, testing, personal protective equipment and mechanical gear. The difficult conversations feel unceasingly cruel.
Flagler EOC Gets 500 Test Kits in Preparation for Drive-In Site at DSC Campus; County Cases at 35; Florida Deaths Near 300
Flagler County’s emergency management division secured the 500 test kits in addition to those at the health department, and it hopes to secure more. The drive-in location will still be by appointment, with a focus on first responders, health workers and those over 65.
At AdventHealth, 15 Ventilators and Plans for 66 ICU Rooms; Local Officials Prepare for Surge and Promised Tests Don’t Show
As confirmed Flagler County Covid-19 cases reach 28 Friday evening, local health officials are now stopping short of using reassuring language, saying the worst is yet to come, while various shifts point to the increasing severity of the pandemic.
Florida Covid-19 Cases Increasing By More Than 1,000 a Day; Flagler’s at 24, With 4 Hospitalized
Floridians, public health and emergency management officials are contending with rapidly accelerating indices of crisis, from infection numbers to hospitalizations to unemployment figures that are triggering a different sort of emergency even for those unaffected by the virus.
Flagler’s 1st Covid-19 Fatality: Flagler Beach’s Dorothy Strickland Dies at Halifax Hospital; Was Denied Test Locally
Dorothy Strickland, 70, died Wednesday afternoon of Coronavirus at Daytona Beach’s Halifax hospital after she had been told she didn’t meet testing criteria in Flagler County. Her last two weeks were an ordeal.
Sheriff Prepares Shift to Enforcement of Quarantine and Stay-Home Orders Amid Questions; Restrictions in Effect Friday
What will enforcement of mandatory stay-home orders look like in Palm Coast and Flagler, for residents and coronavirus-infected individuals? Sheriff Rick Staly and Emergency Management Chief Jonathan Lord have been pouring over the orders in preparation.
DeSantis Orders Stay-at-Home Across Florida, Limiting Activity to All But Essential Services for 30 Days; Palm Coast Holds Virtual Town Hall
Speaking from his office shortly after 1 p.m. today, Gov. Ron DeSantis today said he is issuing an executive order requiring all Floridians to stay at home except to seek “essential services” for the next 30 days.
3 Flagler Public Library Staffers Develop Covid-Like Symptoms, Shutting Down All Services at Palm Coast Branch
The dozen staffers at the Flagler County Public Library on Palm Coast Parkway had been conducting brisk curbside business until three of them developed symptoms, requiring a shut-down out of caution, and until further notice.
Flagler’s Covid-Emergency Officials Want More Testing and Uniform Orders But Can’t Say When Either Will Happen
Flagler County’s first-ever virtual news conference revealed the fissures between the state’s patchwork approach to stay-at-home orders and local officials’ desire for more. And it underscored a persistent lack of sufficient testing that would enable health officials to conduct broader surveillance testing and better grasp the true extent of infections locally.
What Takes So Long? A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Steps Involved In COVID-19 Testing
Even for people who are able to get tested for the coronavirus, and there’s still a big lag in testing ability in hot spots across the U.S., there can be a frustratingly long wait for results — not just hours, but often days. Here are some answers why.