Panama City, Fla.— The Florida Department of Health in Bay County (DOH-Bay) received confirmation of 117 additional Bay County resident cases of COVID-19 with 915 negative test results and a 11.3% percent positive for August 6. According to the Agency for Health Care Administration as of 10 a.m. today there are 81 persons in Bay County hospitals with a primary diagnosis COVID-19.  

The age range for Bay County residents testing positive for COVID-19 for August 6 is 0-4 years (2), 5-14 years (0), 15-24 years (15), 25-34 (28), 35-44 (14), 45-54 (15), 55-64 (17), 65-74 (8), 75-84 (5), 85+ (2), and unknown (11).

Bay County’s total case count is at 4,194 including 4,126 residents and 68 non-residents. Forty-five Bay County residents have died from COVID-19. There have been seven deaths associated with long-term care facilities. Bay County’s overall COVID-19 positive testing rate is 16 percent. Of the 25,462 tests processed, 21,217 tests are negative.
 
Cities of Bay County cases based on patient’s ZIP Code: Panama City (2,759), Lynn Haven (593), Panama City Beach (516), Youngstown (73), Southport (62), Fountain (44), Missing (28), Callaway (18), Mexico Beach (11), Tyndall Air Force Base (8), Parker (5), Vernon (3), Inlet Beach (2), Bayou George (1), Seacrest (1), Rosemary Beach (1), and Watersound (1).

COVID-19 Question of the Day

Can I wear a face shield instead of a mask to help stop the spread of COVID-19?

It is not known if face shields provide any benefit as source control to protect others from the spray of respiratory particles. CDC does not recommend use of face shields for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for masks. Some people may choose to use a face shield when sustained close contact with other people is expected. If face shields are used without a mask, they should wrap around the sides of the wearer’s face and extend to below the chin. Disposable face shields should only be worn for a single use. Reusable face shields should be cleaned and disinfected after each use. Plastic face shields for newborns and infants are NOT recommended.

For more information, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html.
 
Prevention

One Goal One Florida asks all Floridians to join this important initiative by following these simple, yet effective steps to mitigate and slow the spread of the virus:

1. Protect the vulnerable, including the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions 
2. Practice proper hygiene, including washing your hands 
3. Practice social distancing, avoiding closed spaces and crowded places 
4. Wear a mask, if you are in close contact with others 

Plasma/Blood Drive
 
OneBlood and the Bay County Board of County Commissioners have teamed up to conduct Bay County’s first convalescent plasma/blood drive on Aug. 11 at the Bay County Government Center, located at 840 W. 11th St., Panama City. People who have recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies to the virus in their blood plasma that can help very ill patients still fighting the virus at local hospitals.

Because only two plasma donors can be on a bus at a time and the process takes about an hour, appointments for plasma donation are limited to 12 per day. Recovered Bay County employees have already filled a dozen allotted appointments for one bus, and organizers hope to fill a second bus with other plasma donors from the community. Anyone with COVID-19 antibodies who would like to participate in the plasma drive may call 248-8201 to schedule an appointment.
OneBlood will also accept blood donations from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the government center. No appointment is necessary to donate blood and all donors will receive a free antibody test to determine whether they have been exposed to the virus in the past.

Anyone who has a fever or is experiencing flu-like symptoms should not donate, and recovered patients must be symptom free for 14 days prior to donating. #BeAHero

Testing

Bay County Testing Sites

Lynn Haven Sports Park
2201 Recreation Drive

Frank Brown Park
16200 Panama City Beach Parkway

Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Criteria: 18 and older, photo identification required upon arrival for appointment
Cost: Free

Appointments recommended. To make an appointment for a test, visit https://walkonclinic.apacovid.com/default.aspx. While appointments are encouraged, walk-in clients are being accepted at both testing locations after 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and after 1 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.

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.
 
Test Results
 
Bay County Testing Sites
 
To contact the testing lab to inquire about your results, please call (844) 625-6522 or email info@makomedical.com. You will receive a text message when your results are ready. You will  access your test results through the same website where you registered for testing. Simply visit https://walkonclinic.apacovid.com/default.aspx, log-in, and there is a link to get results.

DOH-Bay

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.

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 information on 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.