Broward sees some COVID-19 numbers moving in the right direction, others not

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward County leaders held a special COVID-19 workshop on Thursday, where the discussion ranged from applying the code to the hospital space and the time it takes to retrieve test results.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office reported a decrease in calls about home parties since the curfew took effect last weekend, most of which were vacation rentals.

Updating the situation in hospitals, Mayor Dale Holness said 90% of ICU beds are occupied, with 45 available for adults and 29 for pediatrics as of Wednesday.

Broward Health said its positive revenue on COVID-19 fell from 285 to 240. The Memorial Healthcare System continues to record a high number at 634, including 97 in the intensive care unit.

In testing, the conversation revolves around the wait times people are experiencing to recover their results, up to more than a week after the tests returned in 2-3 days earlier this year. As a result of that delay, the county says they have severed ties with certain labs, specifically mentioning LabCorp.

It was reiterated that 60 percent of the infection is spreading among families.

On Thursday, when the state set a new record for new coronavirus-related deaths reported in one day, Broward reported seven new deaths and 1,263 new cases of COVID-19. The county has up to 536 deaths and 45,010 cases since the outbreak began.

Broward’s positivity rate for the COVID-19 tests conducted Wednesday was 14.1%, slightly higher than the 12.4% the previous day.

As for the relaxed restrictions in the future?

“If the county decides to modify these restrictions, it will be because we found a better and less intrusive way to address the problem,” said county attorney Andrew J. Meyers.