Over Memorial Day weekend, Escambia County had 28 new COVID-19 cases and an additional death. DOH Escambia entered 2,093 new test results into its Merlin system – 1.3% were positive.  As of Monday, May 25, the county  has 768 positive cases and 26 deaths.
Over 70% of the death are in long-term care facilities. FDOH only reports the deaths per nursing home on Fridays. Bayside, Brookdale and Southern Oaks each had one more death last week.
ACHA published a list of the current case –among residents, staff and transfers – as of Sunday, May 24. The new hot spot is Oakbridge Terrace at Azalea Trace with 42 cases – all residents. We later learned the data was wrong – see post.
| 5/22/20 | 5/25/20 | Increase | ||
| Total Cases | 49451 | 51746 | 2295 | 4.64% |
| Florida Residents | 48150 | 50414 | 2264 | 4.70% |
| Non-Fla. | 1301 | 1332 | 31 | 2.38% |
| Deaths | 2190 | 2252 | 62 | 2.83% |
| Escambia | 740 | 768 | 28 | 3.78% |
| Okaloosa | 185 | 193 | 8 | 4.32% |
| Santa Rosa | 202 | 208 | 6 | 2.97% |
Escambia Long-term Care Facility Deaths – as Friday, May 22
| Total | Residents | Staff | Last Week | |
| Bayside | 7 | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| Southern Oaks | 6 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Brookdale | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Arcadia Health | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 18 | 17 | 1 | 15 |
AHCA – Current COVID-19 cases – totals include residents, transfers, staff
| 24-May | 12-May | ||
| Asbury Place | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Bayside Health | 24 | 48 | -24 |
| Brookdale Pensacola | 2 | 7 | -5 |
| Century Center for Rehabilitation | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| DeLuna Health | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Florida Mentor | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Haven of Our Lady of Peace | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Homestead Village | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| New Horizons | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Oakbridge Terrace at Azalea | 42 | 0 | 42 |
| Olive Branch Health And Rehabilitation | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Pensacola Developmental Center | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Rosewood Healthcare And Rehabilitation | 5 | 13 | -8 |
| Southern Oaks Care Center | 26 | 101 | -75 |
| Specialty Health And Rehabilitation | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Total | 119 | 179 | -60 |
LTC Need To Be More Careful in Data Entry
Christine Sexton of The News Service of Florida reports one of the state’s chief health-care regulators told nursing homes that they need to be more careful when they put data into the state’s emergency status system, commonly referred to as ESS.
“Unfortunately, we have seen some situations where one keystroke error intended to indicate a significant number of residents that are negative for COVID-19 entered incorrectly as a number positive for COVID-19,” Molly McKinstry, a deputy secretary at the Agency for Health Care Administration, said Thursday.
“That data is used each day to publish on the Department of Health website those facilities, those long-term care facilities that have positive cases. So please make sure you are checking behind yourself to ensure that you have entered that information correctly.”
Any facility licensed to provide residential or inpatient services is required to report to the state database its emergency status, planning or operations, and nursing homes are familiar with it. But that system, usually only used during hurricane season, has been expanded to include information about COVID-19.
In a statewide phone call with nursing home providers, McKinstry said it was critical that the information be accurate and “updated every single day before 10 a.m. And that is every day of the week. So please make sure you are doing that on the weekends as well as over the week.”
Whack-a-Mole Approach to LTCs
A Palm Beach Post investigation has found that Gov. Ron DeSantis may have acted too late in addressing the rise of COVID-19 infections in nursing homes, calling the Florida National Guard strike teams “nothing more than a flyswatter against a viral swarm.”
Between April and May, the death toll at nursing homes and ALFs increased nearly 600 percent. By Thursday, COVID-19 deaths of residents and staff had topped 1,000.
As Inweekly has reported, nearly three out of four COVID-19 deaths in Escambia County are tied to long-term care facilities, but local officials refused to even name the infected sites and did nothing publicly to pressure Governor DeSantis to help.
The two elected officials that showed concern were Mayor Grover Robinson and Commissioner Lumon May, but they didn’t have the facts about Southern Oaks. Â Public records obtained by Inweekly showed that the Escambia Emergency Operations Center knew about the problems in early April, weeks before Ascension Sacred Heart deployed its mobile testing unit to the facility.
Read Palm Beach Post.
BY THE NUMBERS: CORONAVIRUS — MONDAY EDITION
By NSF Staff
TALLAHASSEE — State agencies updated a variety of numbers Monday related to the coronavirus in Florida. Here are some takeaways:
— 51,746: Total number of cases.
— 879: Increase in cases from a Sunday count.
— 2,252: Deaths of Florida residents.
— 1,398: State prison inmates who have tested positive.
— 70: Increase in inmates who have tested positive from a Sunday count.
— 285: Inmates who have tested positive at Homestead Correctional Institution, the most in the state.
— 201: Inmates who have tested positive at Liberty Correctional Institution, the second-highest total in the state.
— 253: Corrections workers who have tested positive.
— 51: Workers at South Bay Correctional Facility who have tested positive, the most in the state.
— 22: Workers at Homestead Correctional Institution who have tested positive, the second-highest total in the state.
— 31.4: Percentage of available hospital beds statewide.
— 29.7: Percentage of available adult intensive-care unit beds available statewide.
Sources: Florida Department of Health, Florida Department of Corrections, Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
Louisiana Flocks to Pensacola Beach
New Orleans radio stations promoted Pensacola Beach open for business, pushing residents to escape from the city heavily hit by the  COVID-19 virus.  They had to get past the roadblock on I-10 -which meant they had to fill out some forms. They couldn’t stay at an AirBnb or condo – as per the vacation safety plan approved by the state – but they were allowed to stay in hotels.
Louisiana has 37,809 COVID-19 cases and 2,585 deaths, while the more populous Florida has 2,252 deaths. Orleans and Jefferson parishes have more than 14,000 cases and over 925 deaths.
Unemployment Data
Escambia saw its unemployment rate jump to 12.8% in April – up 9.6% since January. The non-farming industries hit hardest were Leisure & Hospitality (down 4,900), Trade: Transportation &Utilities  (down 2,800) and Retail Trade (down 2,400).
The bright spot was Government that increased by 400 jobs.
| Nonagricultural Employment by Industry (not seasonally adjusted)Â | |||
| Pensacolaâ€Ferry Passâ€Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area | |||
| Jan. 20 | Apr. 20 | Difference | |
| Total Employment | 186,000 | 173,200 | -12,800 |
| Mining, Logging, and Construction | 12,500 | 12,100 | -400 |
| Manufacturing | 7,000 | 6,500 | -500 |
| Trade: Transportation &Utilities | 33,700 | 30,900 | -2,800 |
| Wholesale Trade | 5,700 | 5,600 | -100 |
| Retail Trade | 23,700 | 21,300 | -2,400 |
| Transportation, Warehousing, Utilities | 4,300 | 4,000 | -300 |
| Information | 1,600 | 1,600 | 0 |
| Financial Activities | 14,900 | 14,600 | -300 |
| Professional & Business Services | 24,100 | 22,900 | -1,200 |
| Education & Health | 31,200 | 29,300 | -1,900 |
| Leisure & Hospitality | 25,700 | 20,800 | -4,900 |
| Other Services | 6,400 | 5,200 | -1,200 |
| Government | 28,900 | 29,300 | 400 |
BY THE NUMBERS: COUNTY UNEMPLOYMENT RATES
By NSF Staff
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity on Friday released April unemployment numbers. Here is a breakdown of unemployment rates by county:
— Osceola County: 20.3 percent
— Monroe County: 17.5 percent
— Orange County: 16.5 percent
— Citrus County: 15.8 percent
— Charlotte County: 15.6 percent
— Flagler County: 15.4 percent
— Hernando County 15 percent
— Sarasota County: 14.8 percent
— Lake County: 14.7 percent
— Lee County: 14.6 percent
— Volusia County: 14.6 percent
— Broward County: 14.5 percent
— Walton County: 14.5 percent
— St. Lucie County: 14.2 percent
— Indian River County: 14.1 percent
— Palm Beach County: 13.9 percent
— Pasco County: 13.9 percent
— Pinellas County: 13.9 percent
— Manatee County: 13.5 percent
— Collier County: 13.4 percent
— Polk County: 13.4 percent
— Okaloosa County: 13.3 percent
— Seminole County: 13.1 percent
— Brevard County: 12.9 percent
— Bay County; 12.8 percent
— Escambia County: 12.8 percent
— Nassau County: 12.4 percent
— Sumter County: 12.3 percent
— Marion County: 12.1 percent
— Hillsborough County; 12 percent
— Martin County: 11.9 percent
— Miami-Dade County: 11.9 percent
— St. Johns County: 11.6 percent
— Highlands County; 11.4 percent
— Duval County: 11.3 percent
— Levy County: 11 percent
— Putnam County: 11 percent
— Hendry County: 10.5 percent
— Santa Rosa County: 10.5 percent
— Franklin County: 10.3 percent
— Clay County: 10.2 percent
— Washington County: 10.2 percent
— Hamilton County: 10 percent
— Columbia County: 9.6 percent
— Gulf County: 9.4 percent
— Holmes County: 9.2 percent
— Alachua County: 9 percent
— Bradford County: 8.5 percent
— Suwannee County: 8.5 percent
— Gilchrist County: 8.2 percent
— Leon County: 8.2 percent
— Calhoun County: 8.1 percent
— Hardee County: 8.1 percent
— Madison County: 8.1 percent
— Okeechobee County: 8.1 percent
— Jackson County: 8 percent
— Dixie County: 7.9 percent
— Taylor County: 7.8 percent
— Wakulla County: 7.8 percent
— Jefferson County: 7.7 percent
— Baker County: 7.6 percent
— Gadsden County: 7.6 percent
— Union County: 7.5 percent
— DeSoto County: 7.4 percent
— Glades County: 7.2 percent
— Liberty County: 7 percent
— Lafayette County: 5.5 percent
*** NOTE: County rates are not seasonally adjusted. The statewide 12.9 percent rate announced Friday is seasonally adjusted.