City Council

>> Seeing your man. And welcome to the city of St. Petersburg City Council meeting your elected officials are Rick kriseman district one Robert Brockman district 2 Brandi Gabbert district 3 and Council chair, and mountain areas. Deborah big spenders. Council vice chair Gina Driscoll a district 7 Lisa Wheeler Bowman. And district 8 in Foster. >> You Petersburg City Council meeting for Aug., the 5th 2021 and we begin with a roll call please all stir. They're ever. I want to marry your. Rice air thick Sanders, just go here real Bowman here. >> Thank you MADAM Good began as we always do with the invocation and pledge of allegiance that we're going have a moment of to honor one of our fallen police officers. Joining us today for the invocation is reverend Bobby must think were from Mexico, Presbyterian Church will everyone please stand. >> Thank you for this beautiful day that you have made. A lot soon with joy you know bless it sunshine city. Teach us to rejoice and be glad in it. As the City Council meets this morning. Grand these counselors that energy and strength for the task at hand. Give them wisdom to discern the very best decisions on matters before them. Remind them to use their voices votes power and privilege to do what is right for the least of these. Quicken their hearts to hear and respond to the crisis for equity justice and peace you know a city and beyond. We pray also for teachers school administrators and for a city and county as they prepared to return to school. Keep them safe from this or of Ernest virus which has sickened and killed so many of your children. Gran safety and security to was city's lead us and their families or mode. We also pray that you will keep safe all of fuel beloved children in St. Petersburg the state of Florida. The United States and the rest of the world. Grant all these we pray. 3 o holy name. Amen. >> I can have everybody remain standing. As we honor detective Robert Sullivan who died in the line of duty on Aug., the 18th 1980. Thank GOD bless him and his family. Thank you. Thank you pastor for for such a touching indication. I hope your ministries doing well. You keep growing the kingdom. Council members we have an agenda before with some changes we're going to lead to ca 3 would add cb 10 councilmember fig Sanders understand you want to pull item g one but before we do understand you have some remarks. Yes, thank you chair, I'm going to g one. It is going to come back, but I'm also going to submit a new business I don't in regards to getting updates and progress as to where we are with the kind of little contracts to see if we can get some clarification start the rumors and facebook problems. So I'm going to f this suggestion administration until we can get clarification on and it is coming back, but I am then some in another get a new business items. Thank you. Thank thank you all understand the motion to approve the agenda with the changes for people. Second we have a motion second on the floor. Seeing no request to speak with the clerk please open the sheep voting. Council members please cast your votes. In all council members voted with the clerk police telling announce the vote. Sure the motion to approve the agenda passes unanimously. Okay, thank you. We have a consent agenda before us we you need to a separate vote on a couple of items so I'll entertain a motion to approve in consent be one through 8 move approval. Second we have a motion second on the floor MISTER Clerk we have any speakers on the consent, this one car Lori Medway okay. Good morning counting here on Loring that way on the associate superintendent for student community. Services and I just want to thank you for considering this agenda item again this year to support our students that are struggling with housing. We never thought we'd be to this point that we have to be talking about that from an educational perspective. But we know we must meet the basic needs of our children. And as a community. I thank you to be part of that team to help and support our kids. You guys for that getting a little heavy and ran in here at the last minute. But I am thankful for you to consider this. We have been working with directions for living for the past couple of years to help and support our students and we have close to 4,000 students that identified as housing and secure. So thank you. Thank you very much a thank you for the comments good to see you again. So we have motion and the second to approve the consent be one through 8. Seeing no further requests to speak for the clerk please open machine for voting. >> Council members please cast your votes. You know council members voted by the clerk police telling an ounce of them. >> If you're the motion to approve consent if the symptoms in the d one through 8. Passes unanimously okay, thank you. >> And there are 10 in motion approve consent. And second and I understand councilmember Foster news to recuse herself. We have a motion second on the floor. Seeing no further requests to speak with the clerk please open machine for voting. I didn't hear me the most of the ice. My son. Council members please cast your votes. A lot of council members accept from councilmember Foster who voted by the clerk please tell an announcement. MISTER Chair, the motion to approve a Genesee be 9. As unanimous league with councilmember fostering word he used. Okay, thank you cp 10 understand we have a short presentation on this. Wasn't sure the agenda numbers. I'm just a quick review of kind of what the. State of affairs as a first I want to thank Council for taking up on such short notice and the city staff has done a wonderful job of helping us to expedite this. The basic state is because of the a multitude of factors of the long-term duration of covid we've seen significant that the shortages and them ambulance company. But the hospitals. That combined with the spike in demand because of the recent covid wave about 6 and a half percent has created bed, delays. We struggled on system pipe units ambulances longer which runs out and one says and then we take out a higher role in the transport mission. So what we've traditionally done is about 10 transport here. Because some stars a primer transport provider we've done almost 300 in the last 10 days. So it's an exponential increase in workload for people. Our current equipment in the rescues meets the the specs and requirements statutorily but it's mechanical because it is so infrequent. This purchases to go to a hydraulic system that takes a lot of the workload and stress off of our people when you're running a much higher transport boy. And that's really the intent behind this purchase. We anticipate this to last for the next 69 even 12 months the staffing issues really need to filter through multiple industries, not just firing it. Hospital systems as well. So it's it's somewhat of a long haul force. >> Thank you thank you for the summer We have a couple questions council member cam. Thank I don't necessarily have questions per But thank you for bringing this forward and reaffirming kind of what I know I've been hearing personally from men and women that are out in the field dealing with this. I was kind of prepared to have these conversations during the covid report, but now this is here so it's very timely certainly in fall favor of anything we can do to are their jobs easier. Do you have any feel I guess one of the things I'm concerned about is on the actual. Impact to our men and women in Saint Pete fire rescue coming in contact with and we've talked about this in the past. Do we have any idea of those vaccination rates have gone up for our men and women. We would very difficult time put our arms around that because we have no mandatory reporting my door last estimate was about 30% when their operational. Respond on calls engage in the community. They're in full ppe and we have not had one workplace exposures at all to patient contacts or vice versa in those counties system. One of the things that just kind of system did very early on and Kobe was meant to that full ppe well ahead of the industry. And it's it's really paid off for students to live. Okay. That's good Okay, very good for protected, but they're tired when yeah that if a man well back Yeah certainly understand that well thank you for bringing this forward just think all of Saint Pete fire rescue for everything they do to keep us safe chair would not approve of. We have a motion to have a second. Thank you we have a motion second on the floor councilmember riser up next. Thank So so you know just want to be clear some star is over around and no longer able to transport. So we're having to step up and provide that and we need this equipment because now we're transporting people to hospitals and we're getting our men and women are getting stock and emergency rooms for 2 or 3 hours longer than what's more mall because of covid because of people not getting vaccinated I just want to be really clear that that's this is what's going on the root cause issue for us right now are the staffing levels in hospitals. We we had a call last week will be a colleagues Pasco County ems fire Hillsborough County city of Tampa manatee County. They're all experiencing the same issues. The staffing levels in the hospitals are very strained, you know you've got to be over 3 no shoes on the floor. You know it's it's a staffing problem with the hospitals that. They said difficult for them to offload patients which the units and get trapped in there not available for another call so really is a trickle down system issues. Well I you know in the memory of lieutenant Steve Ho who passed away recently after only being retired for 16 goals. He leaves behind a wife and a son that the covid we just need to really we don't have mandates obviously but we've got to do everything we can especially for men and women and our fire rescue and on our and our Police Department really getting vaccinated just will help keep you out of the emergency room hooked up to a ventilator and might save your life or somebody else's. >> Just so I Saint Pete fire. And rescue. Usually transports 10 people a year. And we have trans transporter 300 in the last 10 days. Is that sustainable. No no. These equipment purchases are going make a huge impact. >> The hospital time so we have to fix a number of things one of the things we're doing right now is we're implementing a new hospital transfer. All see today which will help suppress those wait times at the hospitals which are hoping that you know work foods down so there's there's quite a few different facets that we have to turn the dials on and that's what we're working on right now because at this current state the workload that's been established because the long wait times and equipment that is not sustainable to package so that's where we're making these adjustments to make it sustainable. Okay. All right after we approve this item we're going to have a covid. Update and maybe you can not stand by This is kind of related to the same subject so. We MAY have more more questions for you. So thank you so we have a a motion in a second on the floor seeing no further requests to speak with the clerk please open machine for voting. Council members please cast your vote seeing all council members voted with the clerk police telling us from. MISTER Chair, the motion to approve consent agenda item c b Thank you. MISTER Clerk will go next to the e 6 the covid report. We're joined by and her own thing there you are. And doctor w is in the room also we'll start off your report amber good morning. Good morning. >> We had about 2 months of no covid reports and here we are. She was with good news. So today's report is going to a different than the past. Do age is no longer publishing their dashboard daily. So we get weekly reports from d o h which is a very superficial snapshot of state and county data. So go over also pulling information from the cdc to give us an idea of trends statement in the county. So Florida cases total. It's about 2.6 million. This is an increase of 300,000 about since our update in early JUNE. And I'll tell you the majority of that 300,000 has occurred in the last 30 days so you can see here. The top graph is the case is the new cases by week. And it's you know grown, exponentially you know since early JUNE or so so. The past full seven-day snapshot amatrice JULY 23th at the end of JULY who was just over a 110,000 cases in that week. Pinellas County is seeing a very similar trend. So right now the county 89,699 total cases and this is the day as of JULY 30th. Again we only get these reports once a week from deal age so this was the report as of last Fri.. During that week we saw 4,164. Cases which gives us an average. The cdc has averaged us has about 592 cases a day. For us for cdc 7 day. Average. So that number is one of the highest that we've seen since the beginning of the pandemic and we have peaked in JANUARY and beef we're hopefully. Pete again and it's not going to continue to climb. Weekly percent positivity. We've had in JUNE we it's never back down into the twos and it was very encouraging and with the introduction of the Delta variant coming in. Among other factors MAY be we're up to 16.7% positivity for the whole week. We get new data tomorrow and I do anticipate that number MAY go up even further with tomorrow's data. So there with me on these graphs they know they're not. Nice necessarily and user friendly, but these are snapshots from the covid data trick or Tracker I mean really this is the best info that I can. Get to share with you just because we don't have that raw data anymore. So who are small so if you look at this and it it's going to tell you. The 7 day moving averages. And the percent increase from the previous seven-day so our cases have increased 55%. This week over last week. And death data stills. From what I'm hearing with our Healthcare India, which partners they Tony Bates have dropped the data given by cdc is very lagging so if you look say 0 deaths, you know per week over the last time. It's a lagging indicator doctor w MAY be able to share more info. On that with us percent has increased. Testing volume is actually increased as well as a more cases. Come about people getting symptomatic they're seeking more testing so increased our testing has increased about 11 and a half percent. Hospitalizations this is the worrying factor as chief will not mention the hospitals are very stressed. Not only are there. You know staff shortages, but the staff that are they're very you know stressed out and. It's tough so a new hospital admissions right now up 65% over the prior week. And those are admissions with a covid diagnosis. The percent of beds used has increased about 5% of covid beds and percent icu covid beds are up almost 8%. So we have an increase across the board. You know it's very it's taxing. On the hospitals we did have a call yesterday and and the hospitals mention that they haven't quite reached. You know the volumes necessarily that they saw back in JANUARY. But what they are seeing is, you know higher acuity patients they're sicker there's more. Folks and you know ventilators and a meeting we more attention. And these are the current rates across the county. So for total residents, the first shot is a 57.7%. Serious complete is just under 51%. For 12 years and older are at 64.3% for the first dose and serious complete at 56.70. And then for PRESIDENT 18 and older 66.3 at least has the first dose and 58.8 has completed the series. So across the board this is 10% higher, then what we reported in JUNE. So they are climbing. We talked to do it yesterday and they mention that with the spread and that the high caseload right now they are seeing an increase in vaccine. Uptake. So that's some good news people are starting to get out there and and take advantage of the vaccine but obviously it's not enough sodium which is still pushing really with outreach isn't things. Some trends and one. Just mention in you know these are things that we've you know, according to the cdc, according to some recent calls that we've had with community partners. And cdc says that we have a high level of community transmission and that's the case with the vast majority. Of the counties in Florida think 66 of the 67 counties are experiencing high level of transmission. Our case rate and our positivity rate of the highest that we've seen since the pandemic started. The Delta variant, it's surging. It's it's highly contagious and spreading. Much faster then. Virus and it's it's making people sicker vaccine utilization is increasing last week the fully cares about 4600 vaccines given which was an increase over previous weeks. But with the hospitalizations there isn't that the trends are changing. So before it that older demographic that was in the hospitals now it's the younger demographic. And they're also seeing an increase in pediatric cases of swell in the hospitals and from what we've heard it's again people are getting sick or faster. A man about 90% some hospitals are saying 95. Some are more around 90. But 90% of those and the hospitals are among the unvaccinated so you can see maybe 15 to 10% of the breakthrough cases. But again the vast majority of people that are ending up in the hospital very sick are among the unvaccinated population. They want to stress that is a fluid marker. Some other Vaccines are still widely available. Any. Pharmacy you can walk into you can get the vaccine walk and usually no appointment. Do which is doing a lot of huge you can get vaccines at your home. And if your business and you want to host a vaccine you can call do a channel set up a day too you know vaccinate your your staff and patrons as they come in so there's a lot of you know ways to get the vaccine, you community partners is working on creative ways to. You know expand the footprint of the vaccine. In testing is a big topic right now is. But the surge in cases and people being symptomatic or worry they've been expose where they going to get tested. I still like to point people to Pinellas County website which is up there and they have all the testing locations. The pharmacies are doing a a. A big lift with the testing and they look really busy but normally you can get. Appointment. 4. A testament of the cvs or Walgreens drive-thrus so there is still testing availability. It's just not. Is quick as when the Trump was open. I will deal agent partners are working to expand capacity. On testing. So those plans are. Being worked on it's just not ready to announce anything yet there's a lot of moving pieces that that but just know there is testing capacity in the county. And you can go to the county website to get those. Locations. Amber can you speak high level to our plans for testing rounds in or a vaccination internally with staff. Yes, so. And we the doctor on which is office and and hope the Saint Pete to try to make vaccines as convenient as possible for our staff so I'm very similar to the Outreach that we do each year will be going set up in conference rooms are classrooms that each of the city. Facility buildings we did the same with the covid vaccine so doctor w and his team went out to provide vaccines to folks as well. The try to make it as easy as possible and doctor on which to speak to it that his office I believe now able to do vaccines as well to make it convenient people. All right, thank you. What we are going to hear from doctor one of which next amendment get into councilmember questions. Good morning doctor, one of which thank you for being here. Worth and I think you for having me. I'm happy to answer any You know definitely kimber The problem this time around is not the supplies not the you know so far not the ventilators it's it's really the morale especially at the primarily because we did have a you know a quiet couple of months and I think we MAY have taken ourselves a little bit feel like we're we were safe and ok and then it's low to the drive for vaccination but it's a little Too little too late for with this surge in terms of the efficacy of the vaccine today. How will protect you over the next couple weeks that being said certainly we need to get as many people vaccinated and to keep pushing from the council from health systems from local doctors offices because covid is not going anywhere. I'm here today. We have the Delta variant there will be others. But the goal like with any vaccine is if you get a wide enough population vaccinated and you know per our rates here in the county 50%. You know you will not keep transmitting every time someone gets an infection to 1020 50 other people which than exponentially increases the community numbers. No vaccine has ever 100% effective if we had great, you know hope with these 90 plus percent efficacy for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines up to 95%. But as you get vaccines out to the community and certainly is on the screws in the community you start to see where the vaccine weaknesses lie. And I compared to patients, you know you have a wall he keep firing bb guns at it and you're going to get some decent sized holes in the wall. This is sort of what herd immunity and vaccination you know at large is like. You try to build the wall and the wall build your defense is build a buffer but the more cases that you get it's going to be harder and harder and harder to keep everyone safe as we had hoped. So you know encourage everybody to continue to push the drive for vaccination currently what we can do in this search to protect those that have not gotten covid already which is seemingly hard to find anyone that has not been touched by it. This to wear your masks at all times when in crowded areas when indoors. School Have 3 young kids to from or in school. I'm going to be sending them to school with a mask amend it or not it's just the wise thing to do and it's the only thing that we know that can be done to keep these rates from getting any higher especially among the kids you know who we are absolutely do not want to see in the hospital. Hand hygiene practices again dining. It outdoors if you can if you're going indoors where your mask. If you're not sort of in a secluded area keep your mask on when food is not at the table. But I think going back to ways sort of how we practice them a year ago would be very important now to pass the surgeon, yes, they will you know this pick will go down and you know there are many optimistic people and I consider myself one of them who look at you know Britain now who they had to duck the surgeon there on the down trend of that after 3 to 4 weeks of it. Hopefully we'll see the same thing here. But we can accelerate us getting there by taking these measures you know socially in our community between one another not having large events. Birthday parties and if we can postpone things for the next couple weeks and practice, you know physical distancing I think that would be a wise move. Thank thank you very much. Do have some questions will go first to councilmember Foster. >> I have some questions for amber but since doctor w's up their start with you doctor w. You know one of the things that I have found is is missing is enough public health information. Some of that is intentional fire governor unfortunately. Can you that the science is always changing rate in so the protocol for whether people should isolate and when they should get tested as much as you're updating us on the virus in the current status for community. I do consider this a public educational opportunities so can you share the current science on when people should get tested. And what the isolation protocol should be at this time. Absolutely first and foremost if you have any signs or symptoms of illness in Beaver technically, it's 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or above chills body aches, sore throat sinus congestion those are your typical symptoms of covid can spend again please don't show up to work if your children have that please don't send them to camps both and send them to school. You know everything can be taken care of on the back and if you're fearful of your employee or a teacher. Notes can be given in doctors appointments can be made and that should be the least of your worries the goal again is to contain the infection. If there's a suspicion for covid just based on symptoms or you've identified a contact that you MAY have been around. We do recommend that you reach out your Healthcare professional. We recommend getting tested 4 to 5 days after that point of exposure that should make the testing more accurate because you need to have enough virus in your system and primarily in the nose or the mouth with the swabs are taken for the covid test to detect the virus if you do it in your earlier and you get in the past doesn't mean that you're clear and free probably and you just didn't have enough virus to be detected in those samples. So waiting 4 to 5 days from onset of symptoms or from your high suspicion of exposure would be beneficial in terms of getting tested if they 5 you came back negative on a more such as the pcr which is what's being done and most of you know cvs Walgreens and other urgent care facilities. You have a very good the likelihood that you actually do not have covid but again that's only a point in time. If you go out the next day and you wouldn't know where mask, especially with rates as high as they are today. You know doesn't mean it in the choir, the next day. So we even though a negative test means that you don't have it then we still have to practice, you know in these precautions, especially as its rates are high. In terms of quarantine if you come back positive. So the cdc's recommendation is to 8 10 days or to be in quarantine 10 days either from the initial onset of symptoms. So that first they just didn't feel well that first day you had a headache, the first that you had a fever. At which point by day 10 or they haven't if you do not have a fever. You do not you have not taken any medications like Tylenol and Motrin to keep a few very way. And you're feeling, ok and you can get back to work. But again I always recommend if availability is there to reach out to your health care professional. You review symptoms and to ensure that you're getting back to work is the safest thing possible. And then isolation for exposure is. I wasn't for exposure I tend there's no hard and fast rule for the cdc, I tend to when I discussed with patients to assess its a moderate or high exposure risk have been vaccinated again unfortunately without the variant even those being vaccinated we are seeing breakthrough cases though those that have been vaccinated or far less bill which again another benefit for vaccination if there's a low risk exposure. And you have a negative test after no 45 days of waiting to be tested. You can get back to the workplace that being said you should be wearing a mask. When indoors when in crowded areas meetings boardrooms etcetera. >> Thank you doctor w during the rest is probably for amber. So amber I was surprised to see component about testing on the update. Coordinated a call earlier this week with Eleanor large providers and Department of Health and Department of Health said we will never see a Tropicana field testing site again. Testing for every provider that was on that call staff are getting sick. They can't get tested. I can tell you I have staff sick right now that they are not able to get a test for 3, 4, 5, days at a major box store and then we're 5 days out and still don't have I. I was excited to hear that there MAY be more testing opportunity but I think that's one of the things that were struggling to really ramp up. >> And so I just want to know what the city can do about that and if there really is hope on the horizon because you know with their report we got from Department of Health and the call was there will not be large scale testing. >> I can answer some of that I and I haven't heard about the trop other will not be another I know that I've heard they're trying to push a larger testing site but maybe like a walk in sight as opposed to drive and I think that's partly because of the resources that go into it and without a state of emergency. That and the shortage of nursing staff that 30 existing it's very difficult to ramp back up. An operation like Tropicana and as far as what the city can do. I'm not sure if. Well we've been in contact with Department of Health and will continue to talk with the state. You know to advocate for expansion of testing. Amber's reference I'm sure it's based on a meeting we had yesterday were doctor chosen attendance and assured us that they are aware of the need for additional capacity and working toward that end. He didn't share specifics said it was premature but that that was coming shortly, so we don't have more details beyond that and we are waiting to see you know that is adequate and will respond accordingly. He talked about that in terms like it was a detail that would transpire in the coming days. No that's that's helpful. I do the nursing shortage was brought up. And so that's a concern. I I think the other thing that gives me heartburn is this idea of the whole challenge around state of emergencies and that dictates what we're allowed to do an. All of that's more of a question. Her legal, I But I I know that not being able to be under a state of emergency challenges procurement and other issues that made some of that ramp up easier in the past and so that's a struggle that we're up I was excited to hear that vaccine uptake is 10% higher than JUNE. Yeah, I was I saddened to hear that less than 30% of our first responders have been vaccinated especially considering the recent death of lieutenant Hayes. I wanted to talk about if the administration is considering any kind of mandatory vaccination policy. >> We are considering. We're considering every option that's available to you know what's happening and keep our employees safe and the citizens we serve safe. Haven't come to any finalize decisions on that. But we are talking about that daily have by next council meeting as kind of our deadline to be comprehensive on the changes we plan to make which is why we originally update as relates to what's going to happen with the city for next week. And we'll be ready to talk about that and comprehensively then okay. >> I guess the other thing that. Amber you I don't need today that it would be helpful in the future report you did know pediatric in take is We do have school starting very shortly. I'd like to know some specific information about where our children's hospitals are and you know anything that families can do to protect their children, I know some families are trying to go to their pcp to get vaccinated and pcps are providing vaccines for their children so anything we can help with the start of school to get that information out and I think that's really my my biggest thing is what are we doing to get this information in the hands of the public. So you know in that car with the weight said what the I can find this on your website I can't find this in social media is not on the county website where it should be and they kind of had to say yeah we're not allowed to do that. So then I went to our city Web sites were used to find that information. I think it was a timing thing because it only comes out on Fri. And it had just that our Council report. But I'm so thankful to be able to get that weekly and share that with partners and community members and you know providers in our community but it's not readily available to large corporations you need it to and I just think we have to do everything we can to keep people abreast of these updates that they can take the personal measures that they need to protect themselves and their family. So you know anything we can do from a marketing side to ramp. You know that information sharing back up. I think is really important in the coming you see other communities that are ravaged. Right now. You know, I'm from Louisiana on following that closely every hospital is posting daily updates sharing the vaccinated versus unvaccinated rate nuts. It's causing you know some change in behavior and I think it's really important that get as much information out to people as possible. So my last question I guess is for legal it's around the state of emergency procedures. Have we explored that or. The order from the governor doesn't really allow for that we are we with our state of emergency workers were also just like the deputy mayor indicated that part of the overall evaluation of where currently conducting okay and so next week will be able to have that conversation us. Okay, thank you that's all for now chair, thank councilmember real opponent. Thank you chair. Thank you amber, thank you that the one to for being here. Excuse my I truly believe in protecting ourselves and our families and especially now that the numbers have gone up. We received the memo so all of the staff. That currently wearing their mask. I would like to explore putting. Back up my plexiglass. I'm not comfortable sitting up here in between anybody who doesn't want to wear a mask. I think maybe we took them a little quick we were encouraged by percentage and the numbers that we're showing. But as of right now I would feel more comfortable in my public the glass but the. So deputy I don't know we would have to do to make that happen. I don't know if it has to be all or none. If you can just be me and everybody else choose what they want to do because we do have people that were not wearing masks, but we did have. Some employees that were. Infected with the virus that could have spread it to. We talk about that a little bit sure. We wanted to wait for the benefit and courtesy of this conversation to go in that direction it would be our. Guidance and We think it's appropriate for to go back up if it goes back up we'd like to do the entire diocese, just the way that it functions really the only hope of any kind of it's serving in any kind of f acacia sway. We are or wide open. You know we certainly work collaboratively with Council around the conditions of chambers and so we did not presume to do that, but we are very happy to do that. That is the will of this body. We concur and it is of it readily available and can be reinstalled as early as tomorrow. >> Jackie in order to make that happen to our need to make the most and we took a vote on it what do you feel you could, but you don't need to I mean you can question along with it yourself and try to reach consensus on that item alternatively you can make a motion requesting that administration. Place the plexiglass back up before the next meeting. >> So I like to have a discussion but I will also make a motion that administration replaced the Plexiglas between each council member. And that that would have to be in the form request since But I would like to hear what my Council members thank as well. And just one point of clarification or or edition. If I MAY we're very happy to put it back up we support that we would also request that it remain up until there is clear duration. A clear sunset of this state of emergency just given the labor in the time it takes to put it up and take it down. I don't want to go back up with a plan to leave that up. I just want make sure you have the discussion in that context I totally agree with that. >> We have a motion on the Council member Garrett. Thank you chair and you have a motion I would second that motion. Certainly I mean as a mother of a 10 year-old who can't get vaccinated and is going to be starting school next week. Personally I'll share that I am terrified. I mean we can't do mask mandates are schools can't be empowered to make the decisions that are best for them and their staff and their children. >> I'm just I really don't know why William frankly shocked and dismayed that we're here this time last year we were arguing over whether or not to wear masks and now we can't argue over that and we're begging people to get vaccinated to save our kids and those who can't get vaccinated and it's just shocking that people will not do what's right to protect all of us. So I certainly support putting the plexiglass back. I support any measures that are going to keep us all safe. Most of my questions were I think one of the things that I've been having some conversation about with some residents who got vaccinated early on. Especially some of our elderly residents is have there been any studies that I'm really are concrete as to whether or not boosters are going to be required and maybe that's a question for doctor w because I mean a lot of people are coming up to that 6 months or longer Mark. And they just want to make sure that they still have the immune response that they had early on. So certainly that's being looked at and there is evidence of waning immunity 6 to 8 months after initial completion of your vaccine rooms. Right now if anyone is to get boosted in fda still has not cleared it with the cdc and yesterday the who said before we can get out boosters we need to do it better we're job globally to get people vaccinated in 2% in Africa has been vaccinated this is a global pandemic so they don't float in the world with travel as it is people coming going. That's just where it's going to be a never ending cycle so I definitely understand that reasoning there and again as it stands starts. As it stands now, there's no sort of the vaccination here in America were actually throwing vaccines away because they're expiring which is said. I'm so f once booster vaccinations are approved here will probably go to those past a certain age who's you know in your system isn't as robust as those of us who are younger and more apt to maintain stronger immunity. It will go to those who fall under significant risk who are on you know sort of immunosuppressive medications organ transplants so probably have The criteria for boosters before it's open widely for the wider population. Okay as the city. Let's say that you know studies Cayman in that switch got flipped tomorrow and all of a sudden they said okay we need to start looking at a plan for booster would we as the city be at a place where we could start to ramp up our own. >> Vaccination sites again. To be able to start to manage those boosters. For the public, I mean are we in a place where we can start you know at the health Center again or or whatever we need to do. So it would be Department of Health just as the public health entity and of course the city would support however we could. And kudos to the msu know that County wide the way they were able to ramp up and I believe it's getting national recognition for what we were able to do in Pinellas County. I think it just depends whether it's that model that we re instituted or something else but if if boosters are recommended and through the general channels if they were not able to handle that demand. Then the public health and the deal which would look at something in addition. But that would only be when the other. Normal channels will be overwhelmed. So if the pharmacies and doctors offices couldn't handle it then we would look you know public pod that the point of dispense dissension yeah, I guess I just for me, I'm looking at making sure that we're trying to be as proactive as possible and putting some of those plans in place because we're struggling to try to get people vaccinated now but then if we start to lose kind of you know the immune response that we already have in the community. We're always going to be chasing us and so I'm just really concerned that if you know the cdc and fda say you know in the next week or 2 we need to start issuing boosters that we're prepared to do that. In me. I won't speak for to know they have lots of plans in place that surround this. And so again if there's capacity and the pharmacies that they probably won't ramp up its more that that surge issue to fill the gap. So they're talking with those partners of the pharmacy partners. I don't know the specifics about it, but. You know this plant always in place to create those public. You know point of dispensing as well as private point of dispensing so to activate you know all the cities to provide their own booster vaccines for their staff and. You know dependence which you know will work on the center to get done. Okay and I guess the last thing I have a question about or just want to have a conversation so yesterday I sat on the arts advisory Grant panel, one of grant he's when they gave their update mentioned that they have made a decision to only allow performers and people who attend to be vaccinated persons I've heard a few businesses starting to kind of make these decisions have we been working at all with the chamber and our business partners to see what the conversation is around business is really taking ownership of their own policies and procedures, I mean we did so much of this back during mask mandates and things like that. And we've been having these conversations with our businesses to see kind of what what they're doing and what their feelings are about yes, the chamber Board of Governors met yesterday at a robust discussion what was happening citywide and people voluntarily shared what they are doing. There's a common commitment across business community to do what we can to mitigate. Firstly to keep our city safe and also to preserve commerce. Jessica Island man working with grandson of the part of that messaging for resilience retention grants were also reiterating the importance of doing what we can to vaccinations so yes there's a very coordinated effort and will continue that okay what do I raise the safe messaging im platform. I mean the more that I hear businesses making these decisions and really empowering you know themselves and their employees to really take a stand on vaccinations I'm encouraged by that I would love to see more of that and I would encourage our business community where they can and where they can still maintain profitability to really look at those sort of policies and procedures for themselves because I mean legal I think there's anything if you're a private business you can make those kind of decisions for yourself I don't see anything that that would preclude you from doing that is there. They would have to I can't really they would need to draw their own conclusions. Yeah. Ana, obviously some places have done that. So I guess another question for legal then us getting the memo yesterday about employees needing to wear Are we requiring or are we allowed to require the public to wear masks, whenever they come into city facilities. It all give the same answer that I gave before that is also something that we're having discussions with administration regarding we can give an update on that as well next Thu., okay, very good. Well thank you for allowing the updated a chair and thank you to administration amber doctor Ian for being here today. I appreciate all the info and and I guess just as a parent I would just make a plea to anyone who cares about our children to please please consider getting vaccinated it's one of the most important things that you can do. It's a responsibility that we all need to take for our children who cannot get vaccinated I have a 10 year-old asking me every day if he can. So that he can be safe and he can't so I'm begging you please get vaccinated thank you. Councilmember fix. Sanders. Thank you council member Garrett I feel you're praying I really do. You know I am like the number one Grandma me so you know how I feel about that. Going back to the end and again thank and burned at the w in deputy mayor for meeting I requested providing this covid of date and I do have a couple of 3, 4, 5, things to say the first one with plexiglass in that we had that discussion because I wanted to point out as I said here. 2, 3, Thursdays ago. This is covid positive because I wanted to be and did not know it, I'm sitting between the 2 year. I'm sitting between the vice chair. What would have happened. Ryan so we just don't know. And so on I'm hoping debt. We're still taking. All the precautions here within City Hall and city businesses. And buildings because I'm making that personal plea Fink guy was vaccinated Fay again I did not know that I was covid positive. They get a head no no symptoms. No fever, no no body aches that. None of the above. But Hannah Ann with someone that it would affected adversely you MAY not have been as blessed as I was. So I'm continuing to say you know my family they have a hard time with me because they have that they shells as soon as they walk in the House will Lysol in 4 or 5 times a day. You know so I've made their lives near the Missouri, but they did to be well worth it. So you know I just want to continue to say I to advocate for the plexiglass and for us to look at all of the means that we can. Definitely in 4 within our means to do so quick The first phase of covid was nor airs on we talked about here so still wash your hands. This second this does Delta variant seems to have a large in and im Pei don't act. Gas slows is in the things of those natures is there a difference between the 2. Well I guess that would have been adopted if you question I don't think there's any distinguish between the transmission of covid back then from what it is now ending through the year we figured that actually is more air slides with this Delta very there's so much more concentration of virus within the nasal passages. That's what's making it so transmissible instead of having you know what's a 100 virus and you know if you have 10,000. So that's 10,000 more that gets to spread everywhere in further and more concentration and that's why it's getting people sicker. Ok so you can answer the second question so there is a place that I'm pretty sure they're probably getting bombarded now. It's called the covid clinic in the parking lot of Tyrone Moore behind sports. It was a minister in Williamson and The antigen tests in the pcr tests and to 2 inches is not Curtis a pcr. The feature actually works for dna from the virus. So it's a 100% accurate. Pcr test correct got it ok and another quick question of this would be for administration, thank you that every. This will be for administration for example we sit co sponsored events and we've approved a whole lot of events are we going to backtrack on those the events as we're moving forward. So that we as a city are not holding large crowds. We haven't had that specific discussions only thing I would say now be conjecture and thinking out loud with that there. Okay. All take that under consideration and added to the list of next week's report. Okay, thank you again just want to question it. Those are my questions thank you chair, thank you amber. Thank you councilmember Blackmon thank you very much You know I said before everybody today's a council member who's been fully still wearing a mask. And I'm happy to do that. And I'm happy to do whatever makes people comfortable. But. You know I am a believer in the vaccine in the way out again I encourage everybody out there to please get the vaccine if you have not but we we kind of hit a point where now in circles, you know a couple months ago, I brought forward a planned to have incentives for vaccination that never materialized there we're going to be working on that internally. There was there was interest from the chamber on that. And now we're talking about putting plexiglass back up. But we need to also. The drone show the pier this last weekend because I wasn't comfortable going I watched at home on facebook as thousands of people out there. And I didn't go because I wasn't comfortable go to that event even vaccinated but I see pictures of the man out there with no masks and many other elected officials. You know we had one of the elected official not Council skip the meeting last week to a political rally with no mask on these are things that concern me. So we talk about this plexiglass thing but let's not politicize this. Let's be consistent vaccines of other way out personal safety responsibility are the way out. But if we're going to talk about things we need to live our values every day my values personal responsibility and personal safety. Yes, you never put others at risk, but we need to make sure that we live our values all the time my $0.2. Thank you. `` >> The glass back up. So you know it always about personal comfort and if that makes those of you up here. This feeling safe as possible and again it's not it's who's in the chamber and who comes in here. And if we can't mandate mask and you can't control who comes in here than I think that would be the wisest thing to do for everybody's comfort level. It should not negate the use of masks. And that MAY have been earlier on but with the concentration of virus and again perhaps being asymptomatic and having covid not knowing that you're walking in here with that having a mask is going away from it not getting into your nasal passages and keeping you safe vaccinated or unvaccinated okay. So we. >> Looks to me like everybody is wearing a mask you're in the chamber, so you know we're not talking about mass we're talking about plexiglass right so so you're saying if we put the plexiglass up its to make us feel better. But it's not necessarily go to make us any safer. And you know so what one of the things that kind of went into my thinking when. I suggested that we take down the plexiglass we had a City Council and most staff that had been vaccinated the numbers had been ramping down and it just made sense and we didn't take everything down we was like we did the incremental step. And right now the numbers are are spiking. And I understand administration we don't want to like be the kid playing with the light switch like turning getting plexiglass putting it meant back up and then taking to get back down we need to have a little bit consistency but if there's not a safety issue involved. I would prefer that we don't put the plexiglass back to back up and just kind of leave what we have right now let's kind of see what the numbers too. And if they continue to go back up we can have this conversation. We're going have another covid that update next week. So that's kind of what I I stand on that. I do want to ask a little bit about the the 4,164 cases that we have. How many of those those cases. And when people have been vaccinated. We do we have that that metric. I don't know if we have specific numbers nationally again it's 93 percent. Of those that are hospitalized. Over 90% are in vaccinated. >> 93% of those hospitalized are unvaccinated vaccinated. So we have but we have this number. 4164 cases in the county. I mean isn't that a simple question. Some of the test positive. We asked the question of you've been vaccinated. I would I would want to know that I would want to know what kind of vaccination if they had been vaccinated what type of vaccination they have. >> I don't know I mean the question I think is being asked, but it's not data that's released. For us to half. I can question Department of Health to collect the data if they have that mark around with the breakthrough cases aren't just case positivity but that date is not something that the publicly share. >> Meant to me that's that's the important metric that we we should know. The other thing I want to know what is when we when people are testing positive. Do we know if they have the Delta variant or is it just like generic covid 19 and I don't know. You can I don't think they know night all the samples and percentage of samples are sent to a state lands or national labs and that's where they do the more special is testing to identify the variant. But the take the sample in the 98% of them Delta you know that 12th on his public Delta 2 so they in for. But we're not doing any of that local testing you know here in the hospital, it's not every team you know when you go to the hospital you get covid tested until you have covid plus it's Delta. The suit. >> However in your presentation you you mentioned that people are getting sicker. How did you measure that and again this MAY be a doctor. Which questions so I know the the discussion yesterday with the mayor and the medical director at the snp You know was saying in his discussions with the intensive care specialist at the hospital there. When an early covid we used to see what we called bilateral infiltrates or pneumonia is on x-rays 7 to 10 days into the course of illness. They're seeing patients show up to that 3 days into there. Symptoms. So when we see in this most likely because of just the concentration of this virus that is starting to attack the ones primarily at a much quicker rate and of course you know that's going to be a you know situation to fix if you have not had that time the sort can make your body hasn't had that kind that come into what's happening. So they're seeing it just physiologically on x-rays that that change in the Airways as much quicker than it was earlier on. Again these are younger individuals. I would say the sickest the ones that we do find on ventilators even those that are younger you probably tobacco users vapors you know they have other on undergoing obesity still remains a big risk factor. So you know it might not be the healthiest of the and his people there's plenty of young people who have underlying issues that make them more susceptible. And that was affirmed they care and the front as well. They're all seen those same outcomes. >> Okay so I remember when covid really spiked up. For while there. You know a pin it up in the New York metro area. I mean they had a shortage of ventilators. You know I would think that would that would show that be a good indicator of how sick somebody is if they have to go on a ventilator are we seeing it was a similar situation with with this Spike that's related. The Delta variant were not at the ventilator capacity a metric yet and perhaps because they're younger individuals who do not have a severe along compromise like the older individuals MAY have had earlier on. It's coming down to more of the supplies for its premier in terms of nursing nursing you nurse to patient ratios. You can't have foreigners take care of 10 patients who are you know all in need of something and just you know those that are tired because of the stress of the past year. The school in nursing school issues of the past year because of how things have been you know manager for Chilean we can't graduate enough nurses, it just fatigue. We just can't take care of these patients as quickly turned them around sent them home, come wait for the new ones as we. You need to do. If we didn't have such a rough year. Availability of icu beds is another important indicator capacity in the ours as people are reporting second having to wait on the turnaround time for testing. And results. A couple of indicators that they talked about yesterday as well okay that. To because that that's a good point because that wasn't another line of questioning that I wanted to point out in in flight 5. You you have all these metrics that show numbers going up, but they they don't show like the Dick Van capacity. Show hospital admissions. Percent beds used. Under the this on that slide where the word says percent bed the bed is used. The 12.2 2. 12% of the hospital beds being used. Our covid patients is that but measuring them. >> Yes, this is a graph from the cdc. Unfortunately we don't have the ahca data before it was mandatory reportable from the hospitals to report covid that each day that's not the case right now so we no longer have that data. So this is the best that I can pull from the cdc. So it's Out of all the beds. 12 point to 2% of them are occupied by covid patients. >> And amber's mining various forces turned to find what we can this out And she certainly will effort the requests that are making that we encourage you if you have questions to please press on age first on the state. This mandatory reporting will make accessibility of the data much easier for everybody to track so and so many of those decisions are made outside of anything that we are able to directly impact other than influence. So your voice is there really helpful with age the governor's office. Okay. Thank you. So so my last question doctor w just so and that's going to be kind of a simple question but. I look at the and the covid 19 shot and maybe I over simplify things but I see it similar to getting a flu shot. You get the covid 19 shot you still make it covid 19 but you're probably going to get a milder form of covert covid 19 just like the flu, absolutely. Primes the immune system to develop antibodies in it about these are just not realizing they attack any form virus that shouldn't be there. Another defense that you have and you know we've all been benefactors of vaccines from no smallpox and you know the generation here i never saw smallpox growing up because their parents and yourselves who got the vaccine. Got rid of it for the most part who we still see it in communities where people don't get their kids vaccinated but I'm glad to not have to dealt with that said here is miserable and I've never seen a gun in textbook. Chickenpox I had chicken pox growing up my kids never do it because 30 years ago to come up with a vaccine. So we always appreciation for the benefits of vaccines in our lives because they work. Covid vaccine is built on 80 plus years of vaccine research. So it's not new they MAY have coming up quick. But this has been studied and it's been known know that there's and those I guarantee you there's people looking out for that next pandemic and what virus. What that scene can we develop today to protect us 5 years from now 10 years from now, you know have on them it take for the next one to come. So yes, you're absolutely right. It's no different than a flu shot. If there needs to be a booster there needs to be a booster you know it's a little discomfort for a lot of game because I can't hear the discomfort of covid when it hits you bad that's in predictable thing is far worse than no deal. You need on the owner. There are other therapies coming out they might come up with nasal vaccine means they're looking at bills to help combat covid we're just not there yet. What exists today its vaccine. And we need to all do our part to get vaccinated ok well thank you thank Again for being here and answering answering our questions and thank you member for the presentation. We'll go next to a council member will come. Thank you chair. >> Thank you councilmember gather where I'm sitting motion regarding the plexiglass. Because if you never he never had kids or her grand kids it's hard for you to have maybe grass. From a parent or grandparent. That you want to do everything to protect your kids, I'll be very interested next week. Devin Mann amber. The numbers of the children in hospitals because they say that they are blind to what is being reported. So with The is not only to protect myself and my family but to protect my grandkids who are not able. A teen the vaccine whose camp. Had to be closed part of that because because kids there have we have caught covid which could lead to lead to my grandkids, catching covid which one of them already had and I don't want them to get that again. So living and also living our values. That's all I live by my values. He chose to watch the drone show at home. That's on you that that that's your prerogative. If I chose to go to a press conference not a political rally. And take pictures outside that is my prerogative and tha