Panama City, Fla.— The Florida Department of Health in Bay County (DOH-Bay) confirmed today that a 58-year-old Bay County man and a 68-year-old Bay county man passed away. The date these COVID-19 cases were confirmed was July 20 and July 14 respectively.  Twenty-one Bay County residents have died from COVID-19, the novel coronavirus.

DOH-Bay offers condolences to the latest victim’s family and will continue to work diligently with our community partners to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

DOH-Bay also received confirmation of 100 additional cases of COVID-19 with 304 negative test results and a 24.8 percent positive for July 29. According to the Agency for Health Care Administration as of 10 a.m. today there are 85 persons in Bay County hospitals with COVID-19. 

The age range for Bay County residents testing positive for COVID-19 for July 29 is 0-4 years (1), 5-14 years (4), 15-24 years (17), 25-34 (16), 35-44 (21), 45-54 (17), 55-64 (12), 65-74 (7), 75-84 (2), and 85+ (3).

Bay County’s total case count is at 3,357 including 3,295 residents and 62 non-residents. Twenty-one Bay County residents have died from COVID-19. There has been one death associated with a long-term care facility. Bay County’s overall COVID-19 positive testing rate is 15 percent. Of the 22,308 tests processed, 18,921 tests are negative.

Cities of Bay County cases based on patient’s ZIP Code: Panama City (2,325), Panama City Beach (408), Lynn Haven (350), Youngstown (57), Southport (53), Fountain (35), Missing (25), Callaway (14), Mexico Beach (10), Tyndall Air Force Base (7), Parker (3), Vernon (3), Inlet Beach (2), Bayou George (1), Seacrest (1), and Watersound (1).

Data is preliminary and subject to change based on public health investigations.

COVID-19 Question of the Day

What are the different types of tests for COVID-19?

There are two types of test that check for active COVID-19 infection, molecular and antigen. Samples for both are usually a nasal or throat swab. Molecular test results are same day at some locations or up to a week depending on the laboratory. Antigen test results are available in one hour. Molecular tests are highly accurate and usually do not need to be repeated. Positive results for antigen tests are usually highly accurate, but negative results may need to be confirmed with a molecular test.

Antibody test use a finger stick or blood draw to check for past infection of coronavirus and developed antibodies. These results are available same day or one to three days. Sometimes a second antibody test is needed for accurate results.

Click the link to download the pdf with full guidance on test types, http://ww11.doh.state.fl.us/comm/_partners/action/tests_for_covid.pdf

Public Health Advisory

• All individuals in Florida should wear a face covering over the nose and mouth in any setting where social distancing is not possible, both indoors and outdoors, unless any of the following apply:
  • A child is under two years of age
  • An individual has one or more medical conditions or disabilities that prevent wearing a face covering;
  • An individual is obtaining a service involving the nose or face for which temporary removal of the face covering is necessary to perform the service;
  • An individual works in a profession where use of a face covering will not be compatible with the duties of the profession; or
  • An individual is engaged in outdoor work or recreation with appropriate social distancing.

• Businesses and organizations are encouraged to require individuals who enter the premises to wear a face covering.
• All individuals should refrain from participation in social or recreational gatherings of more than 10 people. For all gatherings of fewer than 10 people, individuals should practice social distancing by maintaining a distance of at least six feet from each other and wearing a face covering.

This is a reinforcement of the previously issued advisory as well as direction that has been provided in the task force report for a Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step. Plan for Florida’s Recovery.

Click here to review this Public Health Advisory.

Prevention

Protect the vulnerable by avoiding the Three Cs: Closed Spaces, Crowded Places and Close-Contact Settings and by wearing a mask in public:

1. Closed Spaces. Avoid closed spaces with poor ventilation that could allow contagious droplets to linger in the air.
2. Crowded Places. Avoid crowded places with many people nearby; the greater the number of individuals in an area, the greater the chances of COVID-19 spreading from person-to-person.

Close-Contact Settings. Avoid close-range conversations and stay at least six-feet from others.

Testing

New Bay County Testing Sites

The first of three new drive-through, by-appointment COVID-19 testing sites in Bay County is set to open to the general public at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 30 at the Lynn Haven Sports Park, located at 2201 Recreation Drive, Lynn Haven. A second site will open at 7 a.m. Monday at Frank Brown Park, located at 16200 Panama City Beach Parkway on Panama City Beach and the third site will be located in Callaway, with details announced as they are finalized.

Each site will test up to 500 people per day for the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab tests will be analyzed at a dedicated lab for these testing sites, and results are expected within 48 hours or less and provided via a secure online portal or by phone.

To make an appointment for a test, visit https://link.edgepilot.com/s/48ad4c8c/jasovy0JMECTneLBI4OeEg?u=https://walkonclinic.apacovid.com/default.aspx. A short medical questionnaire must be completed before booking an appointment time, and accurate information must be provided to ensure test results are received. Insurance information is not necessary and can be skipped by stating “no insurance” on the questionnaire. Photo identification is required upon arrival for an appointment.

For now, the tests are available at no cost to anyone 18 and older, though county officials say they are working to offer the testing to minors as soon as possible. The hours of operation for each testing site are: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

DOH-Bay

DOH-Bay is testing anyone with symptoms of COVID-19. For screening, please call DOH-Bay at (850) 872-4455 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and follow the prompts. Testing is by appointment only. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, new loss of taste or smell, vomiting or diarrhea, and/or sore throat. The CDC has a symptom checker available at CDC.gov/coronavirus. For additional testing options and information, visit Bay.FloridaHealth.gov.

DOH-Bay Test Results

If you have been tested by DOH-Bay, please answer the call from the Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 results line at (833) 917-2880. They will ask for a name and date of birth to provide you with a negative test result. This number is legitimate and is a Department of Health sponsored initiative. Caller ID should identify the call as FL DOH. This will provide support to DOH-Bay so that we can focus on contacting positives persons and case investigations. Please note callers will not ask for social security numbers or medical information. 

If you need physical copies of your COVID-19 test results, please follow the directions below:

Phone: Call (850) 872-4455 and follow the prompts to COVID test results prompts and request the status with the representative. You will be provided with the option to obtain your results in person (if negative) or electronically (negative or positive).

Office: If you come to our office, do not get out of your car. Please call (850) 872-4455 and follow the COVID test results prompts. Please let us know you are in the parking lot and we will deliver your results to you in your vehicle.

Email: You can make your request by emailing baymedicalrecords@flhealth.gov. After you complete the authorization form, you will need to respond with a picture of your photo ID and we will send your result to you via an encrypted email. The email must be viewed on a desktop or laptop PC as the encryption is not mobile friendly.

Additional Data

The state provides a report detailing surveillance data for every Florida county, which is available here.

In order to make the daily COVID-19 report easier to download and more accessible, the daily report will now separate case line data in a separate PDF. Both reports will continue to be updated daily. The case line data report is available here.

Florida long-term care facility data:

• The list of long-term care facilities with active COVID-19 cases is available here. 
• The list of long-term care facilities with deaths is available here, which is updated weekly. 

The antibody COVID-19 test results report will be provided once a week and contains county, race and lab information on antibody COVID-19 tests conducted in Florida. The report for antibody tests conducted by private health care providers is available here and the report for antibody tests conducted at state-supported COVID-19 testing sites is available here.

The Agency for Health Care Administration added an additional tab to the Hospital Bed Capacity Dashboard to reflect hospitalizations with the primary diagnosis of COVID-19.

More informationton a case-by-case basis can also be found here.

For more Information on COVID-19

For text alert updates from the Florida Department of Health in Bay County, text “bayhealth” to 888-777. For additional information specific to Bay County, visit https://bay.floridahealth.gov/ or BayHealthCOVID19.com. Contact the Citizens Information Center seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at (850) 248-6090, or email ask@baycountyfl.gov.  

To find the most up-to-date information and guidance on COVID-19, please visit the Department of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 website at FloridaHealthCOVID19.gov. For any other questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, call (866) 779-6121. The Call Center is available 24 hours per day or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov.

The free StrongerThanC19 app is available to both iOS and Android users and can be downloaded from the Apple or Google app stores. The StrongerThanC19 app and website are designed to gather information to help the Department of Health track and slow the spread of COVID-19 in Florida; they are not intended to be used as a symptom checker designed to dispense medical advice.

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About the Florida Department of Health 

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @HealthyFla. For more information about the Florida Department of Health, please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov .