With Tropical Storm Isaias and yet another record-breaking week of coronavirus deaths now in Florida’s rearview mirror, the state reported a second straight day of lower infections.
On Monday, the Florida Department of Health reported 4,752 people had tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 491,884.
That’s the lowest number of daily infections reported since mid-June, and roughly half the average number of new positive infections reported on a daily basis from last week.
Florida’s positivity rate, or the percentage of positive tests among all tests processed, also dipped to 9.1 percent on Monday — the second consecutive day the state has maintained a positivity rate under its target 10 percent threshold. That’s an achievement last met in early June.
Two weeks ago, nearly 14 percent of those getting tested were found positive for the coronavirus and earlier this month, that figure hovered closer to 15 percent.
But at a press conference held in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis cautioned that Florida “still has a lot of work to do” to get spread under control. A driving factor behind the lower numbers Monday, DeSantis said, is the sluggish turnaround time for test results from many of the state’s private labs.
State health officials reported 73 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday. That brings the death toll to 7,279 in the five months since Florida’s first case was identified.
According to the latest figures, about one in every 42 people in Florida is infected with the coronavirus.
What’s the picture statewide?
Since March 1, state health officials say roughly 3.8 million people have been tested for COVID-19 — about 18 percent of Florida’s population.
But only 60,994 people were tested in the 24 hours after Sunday’s report was made public.
That’s the lowest daily testing figure Florida’s seen since July 8. The day before, nearly 88,000 tests were performed, and on July 24 health officials tested nearly 121,000 people in a single day.
The state had been averaging just over 96,000 tests in the two weeks before this weekend.
As a result, Monday’s daily total of newly confirmed cases is the lowest since 3,289 cases were reported on June 23.
While testing centers in the Tampa Bay area remain open, some on the east coast have closed until Aug. 5 due to the tropical storm, which was downgraded from a hurricane as it brushed past the state’s southeastern shores on Sunday.
To combat the lagging turnaround time in testing, DeSantis announced that those deemed “at-risk” for the virus will be given “instant” tests that will produce results within 15 minutes at two drive-thru testing sites in Miami-Dade County. People who are experiencing coronavirus symptoms or those 65 and older can receive the 15-minute tests at state-run test sites at Marlins Stadium in Miami and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens starting Tuesday.
DeSantis, joined by Department of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz, said the sites will administer 1,250 of the 15-minute tests per day. The tests — which measure a protein called an antigen that signals an immune response to the virus — first hit the market in May and had questionable accuracy.
“We want to address the remaining challenges — the turnaround time for testing,” DeSantis said. “If we can focus on those people that really need the test results the quickest, I think we’re going to be able to improve.”
An wave of people seeking tests earlier this summer caused two-week result delays across the state, DeSantis said. As a result, labs sometimes take more than a week to return test results instead of the promised 48 hours. And for someone who isn’t symptomatic, a week-long wait makes getting tested essentially “meaningless,” DeSantis said.
What’s the picture in Tampa Bay?
The seven counties that make up the Tampa Bay area reported seven deaths and 776 new positive coronavirus infections on Monday — the lowest daily count since June 30, records show. Two weeks ago, the region reported just under 1,370 infections in a 24-hour span.
The region saw scattered testing site closures throughout the weekend, some due to impending Tropical Storm Isaias and others due to a mounting backlog of tests waiting for results. But those challenges didn’t seem to phase Hillsborough County’s growing number of infections, which increased by 332 on Monday to 30,450 total cases. Since March 1, the county has reported 353 deaths.
Pinellas County, though, went from reporting 170 infections on Sunday to just 112 on Monday. That county still has the highest death toll in the area, with 444 deaths and 16,886 infections.
Three of Monday’s deaths occurred in Pinellas County, two in Pasco, and one each in Hillsborough and Manatee counties.
Citrus County reported an overall 1,299 cases and 30 deaths; Hernando County reported 1,766 cases and 34 deaths; Manatee reported 8,825 cases and 189 deaths; Pasco reported 6,548 cases and 100 deaths; and Polk County reported 13,137 cases and 272 deaths.
Florida coronavirus cases by age group
Doctors say older people are at a greater risk to developing severe symptoms from COVID-19, which makes Florida especially vulnerable.
What’s the forecast for the future?
Florida’s dropping hospitalization and percent positivity rates are “encouraging trends,” DeSantis said.
But the current 9 percent positivity rate remains well above the recommended 5 percent threshold set by the World Health Organization. According to the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins
University, Florida’s overall positivity rate is about 19 percent. Only Mississippi and Alabama rank higher.
Hospitalizations increased by 220 on Sunday, bringing the weekly average number slightly down after record highs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Florida’s hospitals have admitted 27,744 patients for treatment of COVID-19, the respiratory infection caused by the coronavirus, 220 in the Tampa Bay area.
Mika Manninen has been on the road for approximately 75% of 2020.
As the CEO and co-founder of dairy-free yogurt brand Hälsa Foods, the Finnish native who now resides in Palm Beach, Florida, has taken 33 flights (including four abroad) and spent 160 nights in hotels in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Seattle, London and Helsinki. Since the beginning of March — while much of the rest of the world has been sheltering at home — Manninen has spent nine days in his own house.
Manninen is an essential worker — one of 11.3 million people who are employed in the U.S. food and agriculture industry. As the only person in his company who travels (so that other employees don’t have to), he maintains he has followed quarantine rules “to the hilt” and has quarantined in hotel rooms for 14 days when required.
“There are several trips I did not do, some I deemed too risky, and with others, we could not figure out the rules,” he said.
For the business trips he did take, Manninen relies on a strict safety routine when on the road.
At the hotel
“When I check into my room, I clean every surface with wipes — all door handles, light switches, the remote control and the phone. In the bathroom, I also wipe down the showerhead. I’m 6 feet 2 inches, and I always end up adjusting it.”
“If I stay for multiple nights, I only let the cleaning service into the room every fourth day. Once I have cleaned the room for myself, letting someone else come in only forces me to clean the whole place again. I leave trash and dirty towels outside the door and get fresh towels in return.”
“Now that various states have gone back into lockdown mode, some hotels may require a letter stating that you’re an essential worker before they allow you to check-in, so keep one ready.”
At the airport
Manninen says he worries less about being infected on airplanes but that the airport “is a different story.”
“When I enter the airport, I wear multiple layers of disposable gloves, and I peel them off as I go through it. Trams, escalators — peel a layer, check-in, use a kiosk with a touch screen — peel a layer, TSA security check — peel a layer. I did not realize how many surfaces I actually touch until I started paying attention to it.”
“Keep the distance. Sit in the corner alone. Do not buy anything: no food and no drinks. If you buy water, wipe the bottle with antiseptic wipes.”
“Don’t use your phone app as a ticket; use a paper ticket instead. Hundreds of passengers scan their phones, and many lay them flat on the glass.”
“Find a non-crowded bathroom in the airport (avoid the bathroom in the plane). I swap my mask every time I use a bathroom.”
On the plane
Aircraft cabins undergo a “total change” of air between 20 to 30 times per hour and modern aircraft recycle up to 50% of cabin air through high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters which trap bacteria, fungi and viruses, according to the World Health Organization’s website.
For this reason, Manninen is more concerned about surface contact in airplanes.
“Wipe all surfaces at your seat, including the seat belt, belt buckle, headrest, window shades and the air and light adjusters above your head.”
On Manninen’s last international flight from JFK Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport, British Airways served a meal in an enclosed box.
“I expose the least amount of skin as possible. Funny, the only time I wear collared shirts is on the airplane, just to cover my neck. I don’t let my skin touch any surfaces.”
The contents of the box — which were unknown even to the flight crew — were wrapped and separately sealed.
“Change your mask every four hours; it’s safer and oddly gives you a feeling of freshening up.”
“Bring extra masks; last week I tried to drink water with my mask on. Needless to say, I had to change it.”
In a rental car
Manninen has rented a car 22 times this year.
“Spend 10 minutes cleaning it up before driving off. I use sanitizing wipes to clean every surface I might touch, including the steering wheel, seat belt, key fob, seat adjusters, rearview mirror and steering column adjuster. I assume the rental car is my own little domain after that.”
“When I exit the car, I put gloves on and when I come back, I dispose of them. I try to keep all germs outside.”
The kicker: This routine isn’t new
Manninen said he developed this routine over a decade ago to avoid the common flu, which sickened him around five times a year due to his travel schedule.
Wearing a mask and gloves is new though, as is others’ reactions to his cleaning routine.
“The only difference now is that I don’t get ‘the dude is paranoid’ dirty looks nearly as much,” he said. “But I figured that if by following this regime I can keep myself healthy, I will help keep us all healthy, so it’s worth the extra effort.”
Is a strict cleaning routine a cure-all?
To date, Manninen has been tested twice and remains virus-free. Still, he has encountered ridicule and fear from others.
“When flying to Europe in late February… I was going through my routine cleaning of my seat and two guys across the aisle were staring at me,” he said. “One said ‘We should probably do the same. Might be smart right now.’ The other one looked at me and said “Dumhuvud” which is Swedish for dumbass.”
His father in Scandinavia, who Manninen described as a “super smart healthy guy,” refused to meet with him, even through a glass window, because “I was coming from the U.S. where the virus is not taken seriously.” As a dual citizen of Finland and the U.S., Manninen is not subject to the EU’s current travel ban on American travelers.
Manninen has been nicknamed “El Diablo Covid” by several coworkers. He has been repeatedly told to stand outside or back away from others and feels “poisonous” at times.
“When I come home, I can’t hug my wife, and I have to stay on the other side of the house,” he said.
A low point came in New York while he was driving late at night in the rain beside a long line of ambulances with sirens blaring and lights flashing “like a scene from an end-of-the-world movie.”
While his travel rituals have protected him to date, Manninen admits he too is scared at times.
“It would be insane not to be afraid,” he said.
