I received an email from the Florida Department of Public Health saying a Federal Judge from Missouri had struck down the necessity for health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID or risk losing their jobs. The suit was brought by several states and, while Florida was not part of this particular lawsuit, was part of other lawsuits which are ongoing. My immediate thought is that the Florida Department of Public Health should have more important things to do such as providing public health!
I contrast this with a story told to me by a reliable source – a 66-year-old New Yorker. He lives in the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his 63-year-old wife and spends winters at a home on the West Coast of Florida.
They packed up their car and, for the first time, hired a professional driver to transport it plus some belongings down to their Florida winter home . They were scheduled to board a flight to Sarasota on December 2nd until the husband received a text message from the NY City Department of Health. The message said that using cell phone location tracking data they have discovered that the husband was within six feet of an individual who tested positive for COVID-19. They provided contact information and requested he call the number to receive precautionary recommendations.
When he called, they advised that if he was vaccinated and had no symptoms of COVID he should be tested in four to seven days but remain masked and quarantined until then. The husband stays home most days, except for a daily morning bicycle ride along the Hudson River down to Battery Park where he rents out a gym for a private 90-minute workout with a vaccinated masked trainer who is the only other individual in the facility. He then bikes home along the Hudson River stopping at a food truck on sunny days to purchase a cup of coffee which he drinks alone on a bench overlooking the river. He and his wife mask, maintain safe distances from others and avoid indoor facilities.
The couple decided to follow the advice of the Health Department. They separated within their home staying masked indoors. They rescheduled their flights for the following week. They have appointments to have nasal PCR tests on day 7 after exposure.
Wouldn’t it be lovely if we had a public health department in Florida that actually practiced public health along with citizens who respected the health of others by following recommendations to prevent transmission of the disease?
Filed under: Baby Boomers, Best Doctor, Board Certified, Boca Raton, Concierge Medicine, Concierge Physician, COVID-19, Elderly, Florida, Geriatrics, Internal Medicine, Public Health, Senior Citizens, South Palm Beach County, State of Florida | Tagged: Health Department, New York | Leave a comment »