Brevard County EOC Urges State to Open Drive-thru Testing in Brevard

March 30, 2020

Brevard County EOC at Level 1 Activation for COVID-19

BREVARD COUNTY, FL. – In order to more broadly address the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brevard County Emergency Operations Center is now operating at Level 1 activation.

A Level 1 activation provides for the full participation of Emergency Management personnel as well as all Emergency Support Functions to include County departments, municipalities, as well as other agencies and non-profits.

The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Brevard County have increased to 31 as of noon today, with the number of positive cases continuing to double every three days, since March 17. The percentage of Brevard residents who have been tested (less than 1/10 of one percent) ranks near the bottom of the state. Based on Florida Department of Health data, a significant portion of the positive cases in Brevard are not travel-related, indicating there is community transmission of the virus.

In the continuing effort to proactively address the COVID-19 pandemic in Brevard, the EOC is taking the following additional actions:

Urging the State to implement a drive-through testing site in Brevard.
Surveying hospitals for ventilator & anesthesia machine inventory and current usage rate.
Contingency planning for isolation/quarantine centers and field hospitals.
Purchasing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including KN95 masks, gloves, gowns, face shields, and alcohol wipes, as available, in an amount sufficient to cover the initial needs of assisted living facilities, nursing homes, first responders, and healthcare providers.
Implementing a COVID feeding strategy to supplement existing food banks which are experiencing record numbers of assistance requests.