Poll Finds Residents Approve of Several Governors’ Handling of COVID-19; Florida, Not So Much https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/politics/2020/10/20/poll-coronavirus-response-covid-pandemic
Hours late, Florida Department of Health daily COVID-19 data nowhere to be seen https://www.floridatoday.com/story/...-hours-after-typical-release-time/3714237001/ Florida Department of Health's daily COVID-19 statistics remained missing Wednesday, as of 4 p.m. FDOH typically releases data on COVID-19 testing, deaths and case details around 11 a.m. each day. But the state dashboard and accompanying PDF reports remain unchanged. It's not the first data delay this month. On Oct. 10, FDOH released no data at all. FDOH blamed a data file from private laboratory Helix Laboratory containing 400,000 previously reported test results, saying it prevented the agency's automatic reporting system from processing the data. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said Florida may stop providing the daily updates altogether, saying the updates require the agency to retain staff 24 hours per day to process the numbers.
Florida to investigate all COVID-19 deaths after questions about 'integrity' of data FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida, which has reported the deaths of more than 16,400 people from COVID-19, now says the public may not be able to trust any of those numbers. The state Department of Health on Wednesday ordered an investigation of all pandemic fatalities, one week after House Speaker Jose Oliva slammed the death data from medical examiners as “often lacking in rigor” and undermining “the completeness and reliability of the death records.” https://this.kiji.is/691806115338896481?c=592622757532812385
GWB sitting at his computer for the daily release of numbers, hoping for a bad print but finding the data delayed.
Florida has finally come to the realization that its COVID death data is completely flawed and they don't know what they are doing in regards to reporting and allocating deaths. Any university researcher reviewing the information could have told you this months ago. On Wednesday, Florida's data release was delayed for hours while they tried to sort things out. Sadly Florida's "solution" to this issue appears to be finding further ways to under-report the death data -- which will only further make them the laughing stock of the nation. Florida officials say Wednesday’s delayed coronavirus report is tied to new death review On Oct. 10, the Florida Department of Health did not release a daily coronavirus report. https://www.tampabay.com/news/healt...ronavirus-report-is-tied-to-new-death-review/ Since March, the Florida Department of Health has released updates on coronavirus cases, deaths, hospitalizations and more each day around 11 a.m. But on Wednesday, a report was not released until 5:30 p.m. It marks the second time in a month that state officials failed to release a daily report in a timely manner. When asked why the daily report wasn’t released, health department officials pointed to apress release that did not directly address the delay. Instead, the release said that the department will “conduct a more thorough review" of all coronavirus-related fatalities reported to the state. State officials said in an email Wednesday’s daily report was being updated based on these new review policies. Florida recorded 2,145 coronavirus cases and 105 deaths Wednesday. The weekly average number of new cases per day dropped slightly, and the weekly death average increased to about 89 people announced dead per day. The health department press release said that of 95 COVID-19 fatalities reported on Wednesday, 16 had “at least a two-month separation between the time the individuals tested positive and passed away, and 11 of the fatalities occurred more than a month ago." In five cases, three months had passed since patients had tested positive and passed away. “During a pandemic, the public must be able to rely on accurate public health data to make informed decisions," said Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees in a statement. "To ensure the accuracy of COVID-19 related deaths, the Department will be performing additional reviews of all deaths. Timely and accurate data remains a top priority of the Department of Health.” On Oct. 10, the state didn’t report the day’s coronavirus numbers for the first time in months. A spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis blamed an influx of tests from a private laboratory for that delay. The state later reversed and said it was because of a technical glitch. Though there are no immediate plans to change Florida’s coronavirus reporting process, state officials have discussed what scaling back daily reporting would look like. Fred Piccolo, a spokesman for DeSantis, tweeted Wednesday that “There is no plan to change reporting frequency or depth anytime in the near future. That is all." Hospitalizations:About 2,100 people across Florida are hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of coronavirus, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration. About 470 are hospitalized in the Tampa Bay area. About 24 percent of Florida’s hospital beds and 24 percent of intensive care unit beds were available. In Tampa Bay, about 21 percent of hospital beds and 20 percent of ICU beds were available. Positivity: Florida’s average weekly positivity rate is about 12 percent, according to Johns Hopkins University. The Florida Department of Health, which calculates positivity by counting negative retests but not positive retests, puts the average weekly rate at about 5 percent. The positivity rate can indicate if there’s enough testing in an area to capture mild and asymptomatic cases. If the rate is too high, it means cases may be going undetected. The World Health Organization recommends a rate of 5 percent or below for two weeks for an area to reopen with more caution. Local numbers:Tampa Bay recorded 393 coronavirus cases. The number of local deaths for both residents and non-residents was not immediately available. Polk County lead the area with the highest weekly average positivity rate of 7 percent. Hillsborough followed with 6 percent. All other counties in the region had a positivity rate of about 5 percent. As of the latest counts, Hillsborough has 45,948 cases; Pinellas has 24,422 cases; Polk has 22,061 cases; Manatee has 12,674 cases; Pasco has 10,316 cases; Hernando has 3,493 cases; and Citrus has 3,070 cases.
One would naturally question a case where someone tested positive and then died three months later. You could test positive, beat the virus and then die in a car accident three months later and this could be counted as a COVID death? Color me shocked.