The most Covid-19 cases recorded by any state in any single day of the pandemic was 12,274 on April 4 in New York, when that state, and particularly New York City, were the nation’s worst hot spot. Florida shattered that record by thousands today as the state Department of Health reported a single-day high of 15,300 cases in the state’s continuing surge, with no sign of abating.
Deaths have been surging as well, totaling 469 in the past seven days, sending the seven-day average sharply higher than its early-May high of 51 and belying the often-repeated claim by Gov. Ron DeSantis, among others who are downplaying the current surge, that mortality is not as acute as it was in April.
Flagler County set a single-week record for new cases, with 104 in the seven days ending Saturday, with 20 more cases reported today and a a positivity rate of 10 percent, pointing to continued community spread in a week that saw Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach pass mandatory mask rules, but without associated penalties for violators. The county commission is expected to take up a similar measure Monday morning.
There is now little question that the surge in infections began almost immediately after reopening, with documented spread beginning to surge immediately after Phase 2 reopening, as Gov. DeSantis and others inclined to see the pandemic in ideological terms questioned or belittled serious containment measures, including mask-wearing and more careful, limited reopening, in the name of restarting the economy.
“Everyone in the media was saying Florida was going to be like New York or Italy, and that has not happened,” DeSantis had said in a triumphal appearance with Donald Trump in April, jabbing his finger at reporters. “We had a tailored and measured approach that not only helped our numbers be way below what anyone predicted but also did less damage to our state going forward.” Weeks later, DeSantis reopened Florida ahead of most states. moving on to Phase 2 reopening just after Memorial Day even as cases had begun to rise again.
DeSantis has continued either to downplay the surge or make misleading statements, as when he has attributed the surge to rising testing (New York is testing at a far higher rate but is not seeing a rise in cases, let alone a surge) or claimed as recently as last week that “we’ve stabilized where we’re at.” The state’s case total has risen more than 1300 percent since DeSantis reopened the economy. The demand on intensive case unit beds has spiked as well, especially in South Florida.
Hospital bed capacity at AdventHealth Palm Coast today was at 13 percent, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration, with ICU bed capacity at 11 percent. Covid-19 patients don’t necessarily stay at the hospital for or even part of their treatment as the hospital shifts them to different facilities.
“We had an opportunity to prepare for this surge that we’re experiencing across Florida for about two months, because we were expecting this earlier, so that put us in a much better position,” Wally de Aquino, AdventHealth Palm Coast’s chief operating officer, said on WNZF Friday. “When this first started there was a lot of issues with supplies of PPEs and ventilators, and we currently are in a much better position than we were before, and we feel that we are ready for this.” Of ventilators, he said without specifying a number that “we have more than we had in the past,” with more in reserve in a 16-hospital group in the I-4 corridor that shares supplies and balances out needs.
The Flagler Health Department is adding 40 more staffers to help with testing, case investigations and contact tracing, according to Bob Snyder, the health department’s chief.
Yet Flagler County schools, in accordance with a state order they cannot contravene, are preparing to reopen full-time for in-person instruction come August 10, with plans still being developed. A district survey conducted before the surge indicated that 28 percent of parents were leaning toward online instruction through the district’s iFlagler virtual school system. Last week the district’s individual schools contacted parents to get a more solid census of the breakdown, and was finding a lower proportion of people looking to go the online route, though solid numbers have not been released.
Cathy Mittlestadt, the new school superintendent, briefly presented a reopening plan to the school board during a workshop last Tuesday. The school board was not involved in the plan, nor was its input sought even at the workshop. The public was also not involved. Further plans are being developed, including one that could use innovative approaches to instruction, but the board is not involved in that plan, either. Mittlestadt says because the plans are not policy shifts, they don;t require board involvement, though some board members would rather be involved.
Speaking on the radio Friday, Mittlestadt said plans are in place to bring students back with safety protocols “to ensure our employees are taken care of, at the same time trying to create that optimal learning environment for our students to have in-person face-to-face instruction. I completely understand there are underlying conditions our families need to navigate through in making some personal choices, so with that we do have a virtual option where students would not come to school.”
Masks will be “encouraged” but not required on campus, even among older students and staff, even on buses or during transitions from class to class where, again, masks will be merely encouraged. Teachers will not be required to wear masks during instruction. That contrasts with St. Johns County schools–Mittlestadt’s previous posting as an assistant superintendent–where a previous plan to strongly “encourage” students to wear masks was dropped in favor of a mandatory requirement, when social distancing is not possible. The district in St. Johns gave in to pressure from parents and teachers to take a more responsible approach–responsible in the sense that public health officials, even in Flagler, have been urging the universal wearing of masks as the surest and least onerous way to quickly and efficiently reduce the spread of the coronavirus to far more manageable levels.
Mittelstadt said a mask requirement would keep some parents from sending their children to school. She did not note that the reverse would be the case as well, though the response to St. Johns’s previous, looser approach suggests that it is. Local public health officials, at any rate, are categorical about masks.
“If I had my choice between spreading people out six feet for social distancing versus them all wearing masks, hands down, I’d be voting for the masks,” Stephen Bickel, a physician and the medical director at the Flagler and Volusia county health departments, said. “That just has a dramatic effect on transmission. The spreading out, the virus part, the droplets can go more than six feet, they can go on surfaces that you touch. The masks kind of overpower the social distancing as a preventive mechanism.”
It isn’t clear why the public health officials’ recommendation is not prevailing in the district’s approach.
Much remains unclear in the school district’s plan, at least publicly, including how and the extent to which the district and the health departments will respond to an outbreak in a given school. Both district and health departments have clear protocols in place for the department’s response, but they have not disclosed the sort of specific threshold that would indicate when, for instance, a school would close, or a part of a school would close–or even the district would close–should an outbreak be detected among students or staff. “I don’t think that we’ve gotten to that detailed yet,” Snyder said. “There is a policy that has been developed and I’m sure some changes will be made going forward.”
The same holds true for the district’s reopening, as district officials have been frustrated by the dearth of guidelines from the state, and some contradictory messaging: under Phase 2, for instance–the state’s current status–schools would not normally be allowed to reopen because they exceed the 50-person limit in buildings. At the County Commission, the Flagler Beach City Commission, even the School Board, public and even staff attendance at all public meetings are strictly limited to 50 people or less. The state would have to move to Phase 3 in order to lift that limitation, though it is also possible that the state Department of Education would get a waiver and move ahead with reopening schools anyway: that, too, is not clear, though given the state’s recent Covid-19 numbers, it is difficult to imagine the state moving to Phase 3.
“Conditions are changing daily with this virus and we’re being very mindful of that in trying to adjust our expectations and safety protocols” ahead of Aug. 10, Mittelstadt said.
JOHN BUTLER says
Desantis #1 governor open the schools school’s flagler county school board #1 dont believe the hype think for yourself
Confused says
Seriously? No masks on buses or in school? What safety measures are actually being implemented? I’m confused.
Nene says
Even when social distancing can be applied , if you will be sharing the room and the air for any extended period of time a n95 or kn95 mask is a must to combat the virus.
If the schools in Flagler County go forward with the ridiculous plan they have in place now and with start date they have of August 10, it will be completly obvious they have no concern for the lives and safety of not only the students but the faculty and community and well.
Jimbo99 says
In this economic recession, this is how our Healthcare industry is avoiding it being a total bust. Take away the incentive for them to ramp up the numbers. Stop paying them $ 13-39K a case. Fraud & abuse is something that needs to be ended already on this. They have this invisible virus, that nobody knows about, has no vaccine nor cure for. Yet it pays out better than most outpatient surgeries do and the healthcare industry has to do nothing about a solution beyond bill for an non auditable virus.
Rosemary says
Exactly what is our government gonna do to help us now. Add agree they re-opened everything early the governor’s got his head up his butt who’s actually going to rectify what he’s already done and they just gonna let it play out it’s very scary now they didn’t learn anything from New York and now Florida is in worse shape than New York was. What can we do a citizens to get this governor to do some thing on our behalf because obviously his plan to reopen everything only worried about the economy cost more lives and more people ill and now it’s out of control in the town we live in. I just can’t understand I’m ashamed of our governor and I wish that we could do some thing as citizens to stop and try to reverse The damage is already done from greed worrying only about the economy and not the lives of Floridians.
Larry K Myers says
Is Desantis brain dead?
r g s says
Hello to all folks who are from this place called “home”. Hate to force any ideas or thoughts on anyone else because I also dislike being told what to do (aging hippie), however, being a scientist and student of human psychology, I feel the need to help inform those who could improve our situation regarding our serious situation. This virus is not a joke. Those who think they cannot contract it, for whatever reason, are incorrect. We are all at risk. There is no vaccine around the corner but there is one possibly on the horizon. Until then, take every precaution to protect yourself, your family/friends and everyone you come in contact with during your outside excursions. Florida is a major “hotspot”. Flagler County/Palm Coast is continuing to increase the numbers of infected people. Please wear a mask and gloves, plus adhere to social distancing of 6 ft. If we take care of ourselves we can take care of each other.
Stay safe!
RGS
Weldon B. Ryan says
Playing politics with lives is a terrible policy! Following Trumps lead has caused many lives!
Jonathan says
Well the only reason cases have spiked is due to the fact doctors are now making anyone that’s been near someone with COVID19, when most or even all aren’t infected. Doctors need to be smart and just give positive tests to the person that…
ACTUALLY HAS THE VIRUS!
Denali says
However you want to put it, we are in trouble. I do not know whether to say that the inmates have taken over the asylum or worse, that ‘we the people’ have become so negligent in our civic duties that we have elected morons to represent and lead us. I fear it is the later.
From Trump to DeSantis to our various local elected officials including the sheriff and our school board there is not one shining light speaking the voice of sanity. Mask orders with no enforcement, opening the schools during the peak of the pandemic numbers, ignoring science and putting all at risk, yes, ALL of us are at risk. This is not a political virus, it will invade, conquer and kill anyone and everyone it can. D or R, it does not care.
Trump did not like the rules in North Carolina so he tells Ronnie to ‘open Florida’. Ronnie being the good little Trump stooge does as told and welcomes visitors and the virus to Florida. Jacksonville gets the convention as its numbers skyrocket to over 500% of new cases. Now Ronnie says we should close some bars – BUT, we will leave “restaurants” open. Okay, a restaurant that happens to sell adult beverages alongside its meal service is one thing but there are literally thousands of “restaurants’ in this state that serve something that passes for food alongside its booze. I am sure you know places like this, I spent too many of my younger years patronizing them. They are no different than a bar. One state I lived in did not allow bars to be open on Sunday – but if 10% of their business was ‘food’ they were considered to be a restaurant.
I am not picking on bars, Lord knows I helped many of them make their rent payments. I am against this apparent wanton waste of our society by elected officials who are putting themselves, their party or their base above the general well being of the country.
“We the people” need to wake up and vote these self serving, boot-licking sycophants out of office. Do not believe the polls and stay home, VOTE. Do not take a chance that we will be made to suffer another minute of these foolish people. If you feel more comfortable using a mail-in ballot, they are available to any registered voter, here is a link for more information. https://dos.myflorida.com/elections/for-voters/voting/vote-by-mail/
Margie says
Thank you for your common-sense observation and link to mailin voting. We need more people like you.
Steve says
Where are our States Leaders. Gov. DeSantis any of them . They are with Bunker boy waiting for a Chinook. For it to miraculously disappear. What a bunch of gutless cowardly fools with vacant smiles and emptywords appealing to the mindless malcontents that parade like peacocks in front of their hollow gods. Get what you pay for.
LetThemEatCake says
DeSantis wouldn’t know the truth if it introduced itself to him.
Deaths always lag behind infections. Nick Cordero lived for 94 days before he died.
Flu in a bad season kills 60,000 out of appx 34 million infections over the course of 8-10 months. COVID has killed 135,000+ out of appx 3.3 million infections in 4 months. What is so hard to understand?
Jeff Perkins says
Right …., the surge is here because the state re-opened. I’m sure the surge had nothing to do with all the protesters (rioting) and people coming down here from New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania etc….No it’s because the state re- opened.
Willy Boy says
The scientist and media keep presenting the situation as serious and dire, but Disney is welcoming guests and there are plans for school openings. It all seems so contradictory. As the youngsters say, “they’ll figure it out.” So comforting.
Richard says
I guess based on this information most people will agree that the state opened up TOO early. Well folks, just exactly how long should the state stay in a LOCK-DOWN state and what exactly would be the fall-out for such an action or should I say a LACK of action? Trust me the impact would have a far greater affect to peoples lives physically, mentally emotionally and financially. If other countries can do it successfully then the greatest country in the world should be able to also. BUT, it is up to each and every individual in this country to do their part BUT THEY ARE NOT! Social distancing, GONE, wearing masks in public, GONE. Going to mass beach parties, GONE, going to massive parties, GONE. ETC, ETC, ETC! So we have no one to blame except ourselves. However, everyone will blame TRUMP as that’s the socialist liberal thing to do, blame everyone else except THEMSELVES.
Fredrick says
“Hospital bed capacity at AdventHealth Palm Coast today was at 13 percent, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration, with ICU bed capacity at 11 percent” Again you report numbers that have no meaning. Is this supposed to just cause panic and concern? What was it last year at this time. What are we to compare it to?
How many tests were done in April in New York that gave them the high number vs the number of tests done in Florida to give us the high number? Please provide all the numbers so that we can make a comparison. Or I ask again are you just trying to cause panic and hysteria?
FlaglerLive says
Last year at this time: Covid cases: zero. Covid-related hospitalizations: zero. Covid deaths: zero. For future reference Frederick, or anyone else commenting here, Covid-denialism comments will not be approved any more than other forms of irresponsible fabrications. This isn’t your Facebook page.
Outsider says
I think what he meant was what is a normal ICU availability number? I saw an Advent official on television a few nights ago. He said our then-current occupancy rate in the ICU was 81%, which was slightly lower than normal. He also said we can increase the number of ICU beds fairly easily. I would assume the vast majority of the ICU occupancy is non-COVID cases, so the ICU rate is not alarming at all. Why would a hospital have a normal occupancy of say, 20%, which would mean their capacity is too high, creating unnecessary expenses to maintain unused facilities? Stop complaining about no consequences for kids not wearing masks. They don’t comply with the dress code, so if every kid that doesn’t wear a mask is sent to the office, then all day will be spent penalizing kids who are supposed to be at school LEARNING. This virus is here because China sent it here; that is beyond question. China is laughing at how easily Americans are duped into blaming us for their irresponsible, criminal actions. You can sit there and scream if Hillary or Biden or Pelosi were in charge all would be well. You can do all the Monday morning quarterbacking you want, but it’s meaningless and unprovable. We can’t shut our country down and print trillions of dollars to pay people to stay home; that will destroy our economy quicker than any virus, though there are many leftists that would be quite happy with that. Yes, there is a risk. I’m willing to take that risk if it means my kids and other can have a future. Vulnerable people stay home. Everyone else, STFU and put on the damned mask; maybe, though I doubt it, that will shut down the the chorus of screaming whiners. Regardless, the risk of death is minimal for healthy people, so let’s move on. Grow a set!
Mike Cocchiola says
We are opening our schools not because it is necessary or medically safe for our kids, their teachers, or the schools’ staff. We are opening the schools to help reelect Donald Trump. Ron DeSantis has sold his honor and his soul to Trump. DeSantis will risk lives to demonstrate his loyalty not to Florida and its citizens, but to Trump and his massive ego.
I understand our new school supervisor has to follow state orders, but she must realize that the lives in those schools are now her’s to protect. She must have the courage to do what she must to resist political urgency and ensure everyone in every Flagler County school is as safe as can be ensured. And schools that cannot be brought up to the highest medical safety standards must not open.
And I applaud our new school supervisor for keeping the school board at arm’s length. With too few exceptions, the board cannot be trusted to keep the safety of the kids, their teachers and staff their highest priority.
Wondering says
How can you believe that keeping schools closed will make any difference how Covid 19 spreads? Weren,t we initially told we had to close the economy and schools because our hospitals were not prepared to deal with larger amounts of extra patients? Did our local hospitals actually face a situation in which they couldn’t care for patients? I don’t think so. I had been to the emergency room in April and it was empty. The large white tent in the parking lot empty too. The hospital closed to treating any patients. Do you really believe society can continue just worrying about Covid 19 while at the same time denying care to everyone else? We can not lock up children for any prolonged period of time. Many kids hopefully live in healthy environments at home, but many don’t. We need to worry about the weakest link s in our community and not just ignore their needs because of Covid. We have to find balance to make life bearable for everyone and not just single out one problem. That to me is careless. I get it that many people worry about getting infected with Covid, but that is not the only worry we have. It is just one more worry in addition to other worries. Don’t shut out popele dealing with other health issues, don’t shut out one kid from a bad home environment while trying to protect another kid from Covid. BALANCE is the most important thing to remember.
Lisa Kopp says
I am curious…Doesn’t this statement in the article contradict the current Flagler County mandate for masks to be worn?
“Masks will be “encouraged” but not required on campus, even among older students and staff, even on buses or during transitions from class to class where, again, masks will be merely encouraged. Teachers will not be required to wear masks during instruction.”
As a parent of a student in the local High School, I am struggling with my child to encourage her to take classes online for the health and safety of our entire family. I shouldn’t have to struggle to explain this. I understand students miss their friends, we all miss our freedom to come and go as we please, but we just cannot do our regulrly scheduled activies or “business as usual” because these are times of uncertainty and the death toll and numbers of infected Floridians rises exponentially daily.
Schools should be closed in the fall…
Mythoughts says
Ron DeSantis sold his soul to Donald Trump and that is where all his loyalty is, he has no business being the Governor of any state. How much more obvious can it get that he doesn’t care about the lives of adults or children he only cares about is pleasing Donald Trump, this is a total failure of leadership.
I tell you if we all come down with this virus and more deaths happen we know who to sue and it will start with Ron DeSantis for he is not protecting anyone in the State of Florida.
Gary R says
@Mythoughts – Would of been worst if Andrew Gillum was the Governor.
Billy C says
My thoughts – We are here and now and Desantis is doing absolutely nothing. He gets no kudos. Masks on, everyone and cut the denialism. Government can’t help us as individuals. Be a responsible citizen and protect your neighbor by putting on a mask. Perhaps we should begin shaming those who enter public places bare-faced? Just a thought.
Wondering says
Everyone who wants to keep the economy going cares about lives. How else do you think any bills will get paid after everyone runs out of money? The shut downs will destroy the fabric of society because we are not prepared in any way to deal with all the missing income and we do not have the resources to overcome the time out.
Td1 says
Cmon teachers , cmon kids , so what that many of you will get sick , some even die .
Its all in your patriotic duty to re elect the most corrupt and callous man as prez.
Self declared wartime president turns out is actually the activity director of summer camp .
Where’s the next “super spreader “ event Don ?
Oh , the schools !
Wondering says
This is actually GOOD news that the virus is spreading rapidly because it means we will gain herd immunity so much sooner. We gained herd immunity against the flu and we will gain herd immunity against Covid 19 as well. Of course, people with pre existing conditions and elderly have to be careful, but they’re have to be more careful during flu season as well. And of course, people will get infected with Covid 19 but not everyone’s catching it will end up in ICU and on ventilators. That is the main thing to understand. We can not continuously hide away and shut down the economy. Life does go on. New numbers are emerging about the side effects of the shut down. For society as a whole, the shut downs were much more detrimental to people’s survival than Covid 19 itself. Just look at domestic violence, child abuse, elderly abuse, and hunger. We do not have the checks and bounds in place to protect people during the shutdowns from their home environment, which for many, but especially for children is so destructive. Children’s have no more place to speak up against domestic violence, no more chance to get away from an abusive home environment. We need to stop the shut downs and take care of society and protect the people from violence. We also have to keep therapies and rehab programs going because people do rely on these programs for their survival just the same. Covid 19 is NOT going to kill millions of people as the media claimed, but the way we are dealing with it will! If people feel more comfortable wearing a mask they should do so, but to believe for one second that the masks are making any difference is a joke. Just look at people. Everyone is wearing their mask wrong, touching it all the time and then touching stuff around them everyone else touches too. Sitting in a restaurant with a mask on is useless as long as the waitress fiddles with her mask all the time and then touching your plates, glasses coffee mugs with those same hands all the time. You pick up the coffee mug with the waitress finger prints on it after she just touched her face, and you put it to your mouth while moving your mask. Really!? But again, this is good because it will help to gain herd immunity. A vaccine will probably be developed, but just like with flu vaccines, it will only protect popele to a degree, there is just no 100% Protection. And this is not true because I am stating it, but because it is common sense and just logical. Please people, stop freaking out over Covid and realize that life will go on if we do no the destroy society in the meantime.
Whathehck? says
Death is not the worst thing that can happen if you contract a H2N2 virus. I am a survivor of such a virus, the nightmares and the hallucinations dues to high fever that can’t be controlled is sometimes worst that the extreme physical pain. You can’t distinguish if the pain in your chest is due to lack of oxygen in the lungs, damage to the lungs or the constant vomiting or a combination of all three.
This is not a political illness, this is not about “conservatives” or “liberals”. Grow up and protect your love ones by wearing a mask.
Sherry says
Thanks so very much, FlaglerLive! It’s great to know that comments with blatant Covid 19 misinformation will not be published. It has been completely exhausting and frustrating for those of us who have been doing our best to counter such garbage with actual factual data.
We are getting so many confusing messages from spineless government officials. . . . more such BS in comments here just adds to the confusion and division.
We really do not want to hear from the “deniers” who constantly claim that this lethal virus is no worse than the flu when over 135,000 precious American lives have been lost. We do not want to hear from those who constantly claim that the constitution gives them rights to endanger others by refusing to wear a mask, or that wearing a mask is completely ineffective against spreading the disease.
We need to pull together to protect one another during this terrible time, as apparently we CANNOT count on the government officials, the police, or the school board to step up courageously and implement any meaningful process to significantly reduce the risk of contracting this terrible virus for which there is no cure or vaccine.
Just the Facts says
Here’s a fact for you Sherry: The feds are paying the State of Florida $132,000 for each reported COVID case. They pay Alaska $306,000 and Wyoming gets $278,000.
This is not a political issue – it’s a money issue.
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/state-by-state-breakdown-of-federal-aid-per-covid-19-case.html
FlaglerLive says
The commenter is being deeply misleading. The commenter is referring to the $30 billion in CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) money distributed to hospitals to offset the substantial losses they incurred from shut-downs and other COVID-related reasons. The relationship to Covid patients as generators of that money on a per-patient basis is patently false, and as absurd as saying that Flagler County received $4 million per Covid death under the same Act. Flagler County did, in fact, receive $20 million, and it does have 5 deaths so far. That $20 million is being distributed through three pots, to businesses and in the form of social assistance to those hurt by the shut down, but it has nothing to do with the number of local deaths and everything to do with economic relief.
John F.Pollinger says
Called it a hoax. Keep telling yourself the same thing.
https://news.yahoo.com/man-37-died-coronavirus-had-092340275.html
Concerned says
Schools should have all in person classes available online or recorded on video so that sick students can still “attend” rather than having to enroll in iflagler. Sadly children have succumbed to COVID 19 which is highly contagious as well as is the flu. We can ultimately only really control our own behavior. Some kids actually learn better online, less distractions, fewer interruptions by disrespectful students in class…
Shark says
Just give the kids a bleach injection and put some UV lights in their lungs and it will all go away when it gets hot. Advise from t-rump!!!
Don Bach says
Open Schools Suggestions. 1) delay opening until September. Most of Nations elementary and high schools are on a Sept to June schedule. Need time to get it right. 2) In-class only for 8th graders and seniors. A key time for both as graders headed for an adult high school and seniors targeting college and career choice 3) will need teachers only for this many students; social distancing easier to enforce; construct 7- foot plastic shield in front of teacher, teacher’s desk, and blackboards 4) teachers chosen exclude high risk older and those with underlying health issues. 5) remaining students enroll for in-line study. 6) increase in-class at grade levels when pandemic lessens.