Daytona Beach, Fla. - This morning, Volusia County has 420 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 14 COVID-19-related deaths in the community. This information is updated twice a day and can be found on the Florida Department of Health's COVID-19 webpage.

The Florida Department of Health in Volusia County (DOH-Volusia), along with healthcare partners, Volusia County Government and other community partners, are monitoring the COVID-19 situation and protecting the public. To keep the community informed of the status of these efforts, DOH-Volusia will be providing recurring updates.

"Your local health department is keenly focused on identifying new cases through testing and the contact tracing of known COVID-19 positive cases as well as protecting the elderly and vulnerable populations," said Patricia Boswell, DOH-Volusia administrator. While testing is considered a public health activity, these are conducted in conjunction with our community partners including local hospitals and local healthcare providers. With the work of these partners, collectively we have significantly ramped up testing in Volusia County.

Community Actions Being Taken to Respond to COVID-19

• Several times a day, DOH-Volusia and Volusia County Emergency Management coordinate information to assess and respond to the needs of healthcare facilities.

• DOH-Volusia is contacting 140 long-term care facilities every 24 hours to keep abreast of each facility’s COVID-19-related needs and inquire about any residents or staff exhibiting symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

• DOH-Volusia staff are conducting onsite visits to each of the 140 long-term care facilities to review procedures and offer guidance to prevent introduction of the virus into the facility.

• When a facility has a staff member or resident test positive for COVID-19, DOH-Volusia's procedure is to conduct a heightened monitoring and on-site assessments, as needed, at the facility.

  • The 1^st step is to conduct an epidemiological investigation at the facility and address deficiencies or needs. A joint assessment with the Agency for Health Care Administration also is conducted.

• The health department then provides guidance on isolation of positive and potentially infected residents and staff and measures to prevent the spread based on the actions of staff and management from before staff enter the facility until the leave the facility.

• Assessments of available personal protective equipment (PPE) are made and education and reinforcement on appropriate use of PPE is provided. As needed, DOH-Volusia works with Volusia County Emergency Management to secure resources.

• Infection control procedures are monitored.

• Additional activities may include:

  • Conducting FIT testing for all staff with N95 masks

  • Additional testing of residents and staff

  • Requesting additional resources from the state including but not limited to a team of nurses to monitor activities for extended periods, testing across the facility and even moving patients out, if needed to temporarily decompress the facility for the safety of all residents and staff.

  • The cumulative list of long-term care facilities statewide with COVID-19 cases is published at 6 p.m. daily at FlHealth.gov .

• To ensure accurate information is provided, Volusia County Government continues to include DOH-Volusia in its recurring updates for the public, the Volusia County Council and the news media.

Local Information and Resources

For information specific to COVID-19 in Volusia County, please visit Volusia.org/coronavirus.

Visit the Florida Department of Health COVID-19 webpage for general information on COVID-19. If you have questions, please call the Department's COVID-19 Call Centers available 24/7 at 1 (866) 779-6121 or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov.

211, an information and referral service sponsored by the United Way, is available in many areas throughout Florida and can share with you information on services available in your community. Call 211 or visit the website at www.211.org.

About the Florida Department of Health

The Florida Department of Health, 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 please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

*Please note the date of this release. Information provided may have changed depending on the time that has elapsed."