Jane Musgrave

The Palm Beach Post

An elderly Panhandle man, who recently traveled internationally, is the fifth Florida resident to test positive for the coronavirus, Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference on Thursday.

The Santa Rosa County resident is over the age of 70 and has “severe underlying conditions,” DeSantis said.

The governor continued to emphasize that frail seniors are most at risk for the virus that has claimed more than a dozen victims in the U.S. and thousands worldwide.

“The risk to Florida remains low and the risk to the country remains low,” he said. “Just take proper precautions. We want to do what we can to contain the limited number of cases that we have.”

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One of the challenges facing the state is a lack of testing kits. Health officials are expecting a shipment from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention soon, he said.

“I know they have tens of thousands that will certainly be en route, but we don’t have them yet,” DeSantis said.

The first test kits distributed by the CDC were flawed, the agency admitted. Officials are now working with the Food and Drug Administration to resolve the problem, according to its website.

However, it noted, the original testing kits can continue to be used to make initial assessments. The CDC says it has enough kits to test more than 75,000 people.

DeSantis didn’t specifically say that a shortage of testing kits is causing a problem or threatening public health. But, he acknowledged, it could.

“We certainly believe that (getting more testing kits) would help things especially if we have a situation where we have a surge of people who are showing up with symptoms,” DeSantis said. “To be unable to do that local test would be a big, big deal.”

The Santa Rosa man joins three others in the Tampa Bay area who have tested positive for COVID-19. Two Hillsborough County sisters, who had traveled in Italy, and a 70-year-old Manatee man are all being treated for the virus.

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In addition, five other Florida residents who returned from China are being quarantined, DeSantis said. At least one of them tested positive and is in isolation in Washington state.

None will be allowed to return to Florida until tests show they are no longer carrying the virus, DeSantis said.

DeSantis urged residents to take simple precautions: wash your hands regularly, don’t come in close contact with sick people and cover your face while sneezing and throw out the tissue.

But, he said, don’t buy masks.

Health officials have said they aren’t necessary and may be counter-productive, he said. Further, he said, impulse buying could create a shortage of masks that are needed by health professionals.

While the Florida Department of Health has 150,000 masks stockpiled, more are likely to be needed.

“We would love to see 3M (company) produce millions in short order,” he said.

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Coronavirus: What you should do

Don’t panic! Remember that 80% of the cases are mild. The most susceptible are people with weaker immune systems such as the elderly and those with diabetes.

The best thing to do: Make sure you wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before eating, after going to the bathroom and after sneezing or coughing.

Do not run out and buy face masks. The CDC does not recommend people who are well wear masks. Masks are recommended for sick people to keep infected droplets out of the air, for health care workers and for people caring for a person who is ill.

Cover your mouth when you cough and stay home if you are sick.

More from the CDC can be found here.

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