Comments on: Newly Obtained Data Shows 2,000 Tested For COVID-19 In Escambia County; Health Dept. Director Says There Is No ‘Community Spread’

By: Esc Co Resident

Esc Co Resident — Sat, 28 Mar 2020 03:05:50 +0000

I know someone that was tested on March 17th at Ascension Health drive thru and are still waiting for results. They are being put off with excuses about getting the test results. I don’t see how Esc County can say there is not community spread when all of the test results are not back yet. Why are these tests taking so long to get the results back? There needs to be quicker results.

By: Donald

Donald — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 23:12:30 +0000

Because there has been no surveillance testing, we are walking around blind. And that is why our numbers nationally are on a path to double every two and half days. Monday we could be at 200,000 cases. But we will not know til widespread testing begins.

By: LPS

LPS — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 19:37:55 +0000

I believe the true error and negligence would be the fact the majority of people who got tested through the drive thru test ( Ascension Sacred Heart) have not heard back their results. My family member was tested on March 18th and still has not heard anything except there has been a delay. How is there supposed to be accurate data and a way to help contain the spread if the results are lagging over a week.

By: community

community — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 02:44:50 +0000

There is no way that it can be determine at this point that there isn’t a community outbreak when the results from all the tests done are not available yet. There isn’t enough data to decide whether is safe or not. Also ,the only patients being tested are symptomatic people but records show that some young generation may not experience symptoms and still be positive for the virus and a potential risk for older generation.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 23:13:24 +0000

We sure have a lot of people in official positions doing a whole heck of a lot of handwaving and mental gymnastics here. Nearly all types of coronavirus, including SARS-CoV-2 spread shortly after infection with no symptoms present. About 30% of people never get symptoms and spread the virus strongly for about 2 days, then weakly for another 5-7 days. The symptoms can take up to 10 days to show up after infection, so only testing people with symptoms is a terrible move. Sure we’re limited on tests but if we have someone test positive, every person that person may have come into contact with should be tested regardless of symptoms. As a planet we need to come together to produce as many tests as possible and get them to all the hospitals as quickly as possible and test as many people as we can. Many countries have effectively tested every person and many a second or even third time as needed based on possible exposure.

Let’s not get started on how ridiculous it is that you can only be tested if you have been in contact with someone else that has been tested positive. It’s obvious there’s going to be tons of people that will carry and spread it and never get tested. That’s going to mean that the majority of people with the virus are excluded from testing unless they have severe symptoms, that’s a terrible way to do it and it going to miss the majority of cases as it spreads unchecked. If we then open beaches or tell businesses to re-open then it’s going to explode.

Please look up “The Hammer and the Dance” and give that a read, it tells you everything we know about how to effectively handle this pandemic based on tons of data collected from researchers around the world and methods that have worked in other countries both for this outbreak and with past pandemics.

By: Susan

Susan — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 21:53:00 +0000

Could the numbers be lower because people here are complying with the rules…
If the beaches open and every business out there stays closed that would be great be thing. There’s a lot of space out there. But the businesses will want to open up.

By: Beulah Gal

Beulah Gal — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 21:18:08 +0000

I understand they’re trying to preserve the tests, but I don’t understand how they can say definitively that we have no community spread in our area.

(A) Information on the state’s tracking map says 12 of the cases in Escambia County were not travel related and 2 were “travel unknown.” If they know exactly how each of the 19 patients in our area contracted the virus, then they should let us know. We don’t need the patients’ names and addresses, so HIPAA will be safe.

(B) Anyone who may have contracted the virus through community spread is being turned away for testing. If there is community spread, we will never know it, because they’re deliberately not looking for it.

By: J DUB

J DUB — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 19:39:57 +0000

I am by no means a math expert but if there are 237 test and 17 come back positive that is not 1% it more like 7% unless I am missing something.

By: FOOD FOR THOUGHT

FOOD FOR THOUGHT — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 19:30:43 +0000

I don’t see how it’s not “community spread” when it’s a highly communicable virus. (facepalm)

By: Lynda

Lynda — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 18:17:44 +0000

These results are not anywhere near accurate of what is going on. They are asking only certain groups to go test, not to waste supplies. Four members in my family were sick, starting in February, almost two weeks apart. All went to the Dr, all told the crud, all with almost exactly these symptoms. We were just passed over. Many here not taking it seriously, that is sad.