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Ascension St. Vincent’s health care workers express their gratitude for the ventilator loaned from St. Johns River State College.
By Sarah Cavacini and Wayne Smith
Palatka Daily News
scavacini@palatkadailynews.com
wsmith@palatkadailynews.com
Putnam County coronavirus rose by nine cases in one day, and as of Wednesday evening, 66% of all county cases are people younger than 50, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Palatka Mayor Terrill Hill said it is alarming to see 45 of the 68 Putnam cases be people younger than 50.
“It is (a concern) because the younger people are the ones who are thumbing their nose at the warnings,” Hill said. “And it’s concerning because there’s still a significant amount of apathy as it relates to young people.”
Early warnings of coronavirus advised people who feel they may have symptoms and “are 65 years or older, have underlying health conditions, or are a health care worker or a first responder” to contact the Putnam County COVID-19 hotline.
In recent updates, Mary Garcia, administrator for the Department of Health in Putnam County, said, “This virus does not discriminate against any age, sex or race.”
Of the 45 cases in younger people, 22 of the people diagnosed with coronavirus are younger than 30, with the youngest being a 6-year-old boy from East Palatka.
“I know that’s it’s almost impossible not to interact with anyone, but we have to make sure we don’t put ourselves in a situation that we go home and it’s a teenager who brings COVID (to) his grandparents,” Hill said. “We have to constantly preach to our citizens that patience is going to be the key virtue in this.”
To aid in the fight against the virus and help people suffering from it, St. Johns River State College donated personal protective equipment and loaned ventilators to hospitals around the state.
SJR State Dean of Allied Health Holly Coulliette said in a statement she was grateful for all the work health care professionals are doing during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Many SJR State graduates and current students are employed in fields that require essential services to be provided during this time,” Coulliette said. “From health care workers to law enforcement, grocery store employees, truckers, restaurateurs and more, we want to thank all for the dedication, selflessness, sacrifices and determination that it takes trying to conquer an invisible enemy.”
Baptist Health in Jacksonville received 11 ventilators, Ascension St. Vincent’s in Jacksonville received three and National Stockpile in Florida received two.
Nemours Children’s Specialty Care in Jacksonville and Putnam Community Medical Center in Palatka received personal protective equipment donations.
Nurses from St. Vincent’s held signs in response to SJR State’s donations that read, “Thank you St. Johns River State College.”
As coronavirus still affects Putnam County, Hill said the county needs to continue social distancing and practice patience.
“We’ve seen what the impact of COVID is on communities with a large concentration of African-Americans. We’ve also seen the impact of COVID on poor communities,” Hill said. “When you look at the statistics, it doesn’t fare well for us. To haphazardly begin to open up non-essential businesses that in no way will be able to practice social distancing and then to phase in additional businesses a few weeks after – you’ve basically created a pilot study on people who can least afford to be affected by this virus – is unbelievable.”
Out of Putnam County’s total number of cases, 40 came from Palatka, 11 came from East Palatka, Interlachen had 10, Satsuma had three, Crescent City had two, Hawthorne had one and Welaka had one, according to the health department.
The three newest cases are a 63-year-old Palatka woman, a 41-year-old Palatka woman and a 28-year-old Satsuma woman.
As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, 1,115 people in Putnam had been tested, with 1,047 tests returning negative. Only one death in Putnam County has been reported since the outbreak began.
The total number of cases in Florida reached 28,576 Wednesday evening with 927 deaths statewide.
“My advice to Putnam County continues to be the same – we need to stay at home, we need to practice social distancing and we need to be mindful of what government is pushing forward as the solution,” Hill said. “Because in our haste to just get back to our normal walk of life, we could be hastening death for ourselves or our loved ones or our friends.”