Escambia County Now Reporting Number Of Recovered COVID-19 Patients
January 8, 2021
For the first time since the pandemic began, Escambia County is now reporting a number of people believed to be recovered from COVID-19.
Of the 24,530 total cases in Escambia County as of Thursday, the county reports 22,794, or 98.2% of them have recovered, for a fatality risk of 1.8%.
The Florida Department of Health does not have a clear standard or definition of “recovered” and does not report a number of recovered individuals. Escambia County is reporting an approximate recovery number defined as the total cases prior to last month, minus deaths. In other words, anyone that tested positive more than a month ago is presumed to have recovered.
As for the “fatality risk”, here’s how the Escambia County explains that calculation: “The Crude Case-Fatality Risk (CFR) is calculated by dividing the Total Number of Fatalities in Escambia County (Resident and Non-Resident) by the Total Number of Confirmed Cases in Escambia County (Resident and Non-Resident) and multiplying by 100%. The Crude Case-Recovery Risk (CRR) is calculated by subtracting the CFR from 100%. The CFR and CRR are not adjusted for the time delay from diagnosis to death which is highly variable from one to eight weeks.”
NorthEscambia.com now includes this recovered number data in our daily reporting.
Pictured: COVID-19 testing last August at the Walnut Hill Community Center. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
6th And 7th Grade Students Encouraged To Apply For Take Stock In Children Full Scholarships
January 8, 2021
Applications are now available for Take Stock in Children Scholarships.
Take Stock in Children is a scholarship and mentorship program operating under the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation. Students selected to participate are matched with a mentor and agree to maintain satisfactory grades, attendance, citizenship, and remain drug and crime free. At graduation, students receive a four year Florida college tuition scholarship.
Eligible sixth and sixth grade students can obtain applications and deadline details from their middle school guidance counselors. Sixth grade applications will be held for selection in July, after year-end grades are available and the number of available scholarships has been determined.
Because this year’s seventh grade students in Florida schools didn’t have a chance to be selected last Spring, due to the pandemic’s disruption to school schedules,
Due to the pandemic, this year’s seventh grade students missed the selection opportunity in 2020. They are encouraged to apply this month. Their applications will be reviewed in February and selections will be announced in late February or early March. Any student who completed an application in November do not need not apply again.
To be eligible to apply, the student applicant must:
- Be a sixth or seventh grade student in an Escambia County public school.
- Provide proof of family financial eligibility for free and/or reduced lunch based upon USDA guidelines.
- Have a minimum 2.5 GPA.
To see income eligibility guidelines and required documents, click or tap here.
To receive an application and check deadlines, contact the student’s school guidance counselor. Questions about the application and ways to support the Take Stock in Children program through donations for scholarships, or by volunteering to be a TSIC Mentor, should be directed to Escambia County’s TSIC Student Services Coordinator Sally Lee at SLee@ecsdfl.us or call (850) 341-6607.
Pictured: Students that joined the Take Stock in Children scholarship program in 2019. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Concrete Pour Set To Begin On Pensacola Bay Bridge Repairs
January 8, 2021
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) contractors have set multiple beam spans and will begin pouring concrete for the deck on the Pensacola Bay Bridge.
Beams and decks are part of the bridge superstructure that support traffic and bear the load passing over it. The deck, the surface of the bridge that will serve as a roadway for vehicles are supported by the beams.
Simultaneously, multiple teams are:
- Demolishing damaged spans on the bridge.
- Removing debris near the bottom of the bay.
- Fabricating multiple concrete piles, piers, and beams for reconstruction from the Pensacola precast yard and a facility in Tampa.
- Driving piles and setting beams to repair bridge spans.
Motorists should continue to use all available detour routes, which include the Garcon Point Bridge and State Road 87. At this time, tolls on the Garcon Point Bridge have been suspended through Tuesday, January 12, 2021. Commuters can also use the Escambia County Area Transit’s (ECAT) temporary bus route travel between Pensacola and Gulf Breeze free of charge.
The Pensacola Bay Bridge has a targeted re-opening date of March 2021. Once repairs are complete, all four lanes will be open with no load restrictions. As each repair method is developed, FDOT will be conducting reviews to ensure the contractor is hitting all milestones in the established schedule.
Ascension Sacred Heart Scheduling Monday Vaccination Appointments
January 7, 2021
Ascension Sacred Heart plans to hold additional COVID-19 vaccination clinics on Monday, Jan. 11, in Milton and Pensacola for local residents who are age 65 and older.
Both clinics are being organized in coordination with the Florida Department of Health (DOH) and officials from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
The Pensacola clinic will take place in the gym of Olive Baptist Church, 1836 E. Olive Road, Pensacola, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. In Santa Rosa County, the vaccination clinic will be located in the basketball gym of Milton Community Center, 5329 Byrom Street, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The vaccinations must be scheduled in advance. Persons without an appointment will not be eligible to get the vaccine.
To schedule a vaccination at either site, visit www.getsacredheartcare.com and click on the link for COVID-19 vaccinations. Appointments were available at the time this story was published.
Ascension Sacred Heart does not have enough vaccine yet to meet the great demand for the vaccine in the community, but it will schedule more clinics as additional vaccine becomes available.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced a new executive order directing that the next priority group for vaccinations in Florida should be persons age 65 and older. The seniors group follows the first priority group, which is healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents and staff.
To support the Florida DOH as it develops a long-term, comprehensive approach to community vaccinations, Ascension Sacred Heart is working with the state and other community partners to deploy vaccines to those 65 and older.
Ascend Cares Grant Buys Thermal Imaging Cameras For Bratt, Brent, West Pensacola Fire Stations
January 7, 2021
An Ascend Cares Community Impact Grant has provided funds for a thermal imaging camera at each of three fire stations — Bratt, Brent and West Pensacola.
The $4,200 grant purchased FLIR K2 cameras to assist firefighters in a number of ways, most importantly in helping to locate fire victims faster. The lightweight cameras can withstand a 6.5 foot drop onto concrete, are water resistant and are fully operational up to 500 degrees for three minutes. Each thermal imaging camera also comes with a spare battery and charger.
“This grant for thermal imagers and the others received through the Ascend Cares grants has saved the county thousands of dollars, and significantly benefits the citizens we serve,” interim Fire Chief Paul Williams said. “I hope to equip all apparatus with a FLIR K2 thermal imaging camera, which will provide the truck officer, as well as search crews a camera, thus greatly enhancing their ability to locate victims, extinguish the seat of the fire and monitor structural conditions. These are fantastic tools for Escambia County Fire Rescue, and we would like to thank Ascend Cares, a longtime community partner with ECFR, for the grant that will positively impact the community.”
Lt. Austin Langfeldt is a volunteer firefighter with ECFR and works for Ascend Performance Materials. He has been instrumental in obtaining several grants from Ascend Cares program.
Ascend is proud to support local first responders through its nonprofit Ascend Cares Community Impact Grant program,” Langfeldt said. “ECFR is one of the busiest departments in the state, and these thermal imagers will support the front line personnel in preserving life and property throughout Escambia County. As a member of ECFR, I am happy to know that my peers will be receiving additional tools to help them perform ECFR’s mission.”
Escambia County COVID-19 Hospitalizations Reach Daily Record
January 7, 2021
The number of daily COVID-19 local hospitalizations has reached record territory.
There were 268 people currently hospitalized in Escambia County on Wednesday, following a week of steady increases. During a summer surge, local COVID-19 hospitalizations reached a peak of 246 on July 20.
According to Escambia County, there were 11 adult ICU beds available in Escambia County Wednesday night – none at Baptist, one at West Florida and 10 at Sacred Heart. Of the 215 total ventilators in the county, 142 were available.
A month ago, there were 121 people hospitalized due to COVID-19 in the county. Six additional deaths and 460 new virus cases were reported Wednesday in Escambia County by the Florida Department of Health.
The numbers in the graph indicate daily hospitalizations in Escambia County and are provided daily by Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, Baptist Hospital and West Florida Hospital. The daily numbers are not cumulative.
Data source: Escambia County, City of Pensacola. Graphic: City of Pensacola.
A Final Farewell: Funeral Service Held For Former Molino Fire Chief Gary Diamond (With Photo Gallery)
January 7, 2021
One of Gary Diamond’s last requests was a final ride atop a Molino fire engine.
Wednesday afternoon, he took his last ride atop the Molino Station’s new Engine 18 to his final resting place in the Highland Baptist Church cemetery.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Diamond was a longtime firefighter, serving during his career as the volunteer chief in Molino, a captain at Navarre Beach and fire service instructor at Pensacola State College.
“He was more than just a man. He dedicated his life to serving and protecting others,” Diamond’s son Joseph Diamond said.
Diamond was murdered at his home during the early morning hours of December 26.
Firefighters, family and friends from across the area gathered for Diamond’s funeral Wednesday at Olive Baptist Church and a graveside service at Highland Baptist. In the cemetery, a fireman’s bell tolled in his honor, “Amazing Grace” was played on a bagpipe, and an Escambia County Fire dispatcher conducted a “last call” over the county’s fire radio system.
“Escambia to Chief Gary Diamond,” the dispatcher called with no response.
“Escambia to Chief Gary Diamond,” the dispatcher said, her voice resounding across the handheld radios at the graveside service.
The radio silence was broken again, this time by tones used to alert firefighters to important information, followed by:
“There is no response from Chief Gary Diamond. Chief Diamond has answered his last call. The members of Escambia County Fire Rescue wish to thank Chief Gary Diamond and his family for his years of service to the citizens of Escambia County. Although he is gone, he will never be forgotten. Escambia clear.”
For a photo gallery, click here.
Diamond joined the Ensley Volunteer Fire Department in 1982 before transferring to Molino. He worked his way through the ranks to assistant chief of the Molino Volunteer Fire Department in 1987 and went on to serve as Molino chief from November 1992 to September 1993. He was currently volunteering as a fleet transport driver for Escambia Fire Rescue, moving fire apparatus around the county as needed.
“I was saddened and heartbroken to hear the news about Gary this morning,” Interim Escambia Fire Rescue Chief Paul Williams said. “He was not only a longtime part of Escambia Fire Rescue, but a longtime friend as well.”
“He was very nice with a very laid back kind of attitude. He was obviously willing to give and volunteer his time, and willing to serve the community,” Williams added.
Diamond was a captain at Navarre Beach Fire Rescue for a decade, retiring to take care of a family member. He recently returned to Navarre Beach Fire, pulling extra shifts as a fill-in captain.
“He worked his way up through the ranks until he retired as captain of C Shift,” Navarre Beach Fire Rescue Chief Danny Fureigh said. “He was an extremely well educated, well seasoned firefighter known throughout the area.”
Fureigh said that Diamond was always there for the department – always around cooking and volunteering at department events.
“He was always there. He and his family were a big part of us,” the Navarre Beach fire chief said. “He never met a stranger, would give you the shirt off his back. He was legitimately a good guy…this is a horrific event.”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Central Water Works Cancels Annual Meeting Due To Pandemic
January 7, 2021
Central Water Works has canceled their annual membership meeting due to the pandemic.
The meeting was scheduled for Monday, January 11.
Copies of audited financial statements for the fiscal year ending October 21, 2020, will be available by request on January 12. Anyone needing further information can call the utility at (850) 256-3849.
Central Water Works serves about 1,000 members in the McDavid, Century and Flomaton areas.
DeSantis Visits Vaccination Site At Olive Baptist Church
January 7, 2021
Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited a COVID-19 vaccination site operated by Ascension Sacred Heart at Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola.
The Governor was joined at the event by Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, state Senator Doug Broxson and state Representatives Alex Andrade and Michelle Salzman.
Ascension Sacred Heart has completed vaccinating their frontline health care workers and are expanding their efforts to the community.
The hospital will have administered 3,500 vaccinations in two days at Olive Baptist and the Milton Community Center by the end of Thursday. These vaccinations were reserved for individuals 65 years of age and older and were available by appointment only. All of the appointment slots have been filled.
DeSantis was joined by Florida by Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, state Senator Doug Broxson and state Representatives Alex Andrade and Michelle Salzman.
Local Legislative Delegation Meets Next Week To Discuss ECUA, Local Funding Requests
January 7, 2021
The local legislation delegation will hold a public hearing next week to discuss items that may go before the Florida Legislature this session.
The delegation will consider local bills, including an act that would implement term limits and oversight of the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority. The delegation will discuss legislative action ratifying the negotiated terms, requirements and amounts of the pension plan and collective bargaining agreement between the City of Pensacola and the International Association of Firefighters, Local 707.
Delegation members will also hear presentations from government entities, organizations, and take public comment on proposals for the 2021 regular session of the Florida Legislature.
The meeting will be Tuesday, January 19 from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. at the Paul Amos Performance Studio at 1000 College Boulevard in Pensacola.
The Escambia County legislative delegation consists of Sen. Doug Broxson, Rep. Michelle Salzman and Rep. Alex Andrade.