COVID-19 spreading through Pinellas County though percentage of positive cases is down, health official says
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Pinellas County leaders met this morning to assess the spread of COVID-19 in the county.
Dr. Ulyee Choe, Pinellas director of Public Health, said the novel coronavirus is still spreading in the county at an alarming rate, even though the seven day average for the percentage of positive cases is down to 8%.
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“I think it’s a function of increased testing,” Dr. Cho told commissioners. “Along with some public policy decisions.”
He said mass testing at the Mahaffey Theater along with closed bars and mask use is behind the decrease.
Pinellas County is also in the process of setting up a 120-bed, long-term care unit, to care for nursing home COVID-19 patients that are stable. The idea is to isolate them in a facility to prevent the spread in nursing homes and not to overwhelm the hospitals.
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“Clearly the healthcare system is stressed,” said Dr. Angus Jameson, the medical director for Pinellas County EMS. “Your healthcare workers are exhausted.”
Dr. Jameson said the latest data shows there are 54 patients on ventilators because of COVID-19.
Map of known COVID-19 cases:
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