City of Panama issued the following announcement.
There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Bay County.
Tests are available in Bay County. Persons who believe they have been exposed to COVID-19 should call ahead to their doctor’s office and contact the Florida Department of Health in Bay County (FDOH) at (850) 872-4455 for screening to determine if they meet testing criteria and for direction on where to be tested.
COVID-19 can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, including when an individual coughs or sneezes. These droplets may land on objects and surfaces. Other people may contract COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
Patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus. The Florida Department of Health recommends everyday preventive actions to help stop the spread of respiratory diseases, including:
- Avoiding close contact with people who are sick
- Staying home when you are sick and avoiding contact with persons in poor health
- Avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- Covering your cough or sneezing into a tissue, then disposing of the tissue
- Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty
- Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
A person that experiences a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as fever, cough or shortness of breath, within 14 days after travel from any other destination with community transmission should call ahead to their health care provider and local DOH and mention their recent travel or close contact.
If a person has had close contact with someone showing these symptoms who has recently traveled from this area or been in contact with a person with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, he or she should call ahead to a health care professional and the DOH. The health care provider will work with the Department to determine if the person should be tested for COVID-19.
Text Bayhealth (one word) to 888777 to sign up for health alerts from the Florida Department of Health in Bay County.
Please visit the Florida Department of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 webpage at www.FloridaHealth.gov/COVID-19. This remains the best and most up-to-date resource for information and guidance regarding COVID-19 in Florida. A county-by-county dashboard is also available through the website with case data.
For questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, please contact the Florida Department of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 Call Center by calling (866) 779-6121. The Call Center is available 24 hours per day. Inquiries may also be emailed to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
Other Key Resources
Florida Department of Health (DOH) - http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/
Travel Advisory from U.S. Department of State - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/covid-19-information.html/
Original source can be found here.
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