ORLANDO, Fla. – On a scale of 1 to 10, how COVID-safe are you? The Florida Department of Elder Affairs wants to be the judge of that.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the launch of a new online tool called the “Florida Safe Survey CV19 CheckUp,” which scores the safety of Floridians’ behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic based on how they answer a few questions.
[TAKE THE SURVEY: Click here to get your safe behavior score using the CV19 CheckUp]
State officials said the survey serves as a good self-assessment resource by asking Floridians to review their decisions with respect to COVID-19 situations, to see how different actions affect their individual health, as well as the health of others.
DeSantis said the tool is specifically helpful for the elderly, who are considered particularly vulnerable to the novel coronavirus, and their friends and family members.
“Protecting Florida’s most vulnerable has been my administration’s main focus during this COVID-19 pandemic,” DeSantis said in a news release about the launch of the online tool. “With the Florida Safe Survey, we hope to further mitigate the spread of this disease and bring another layer of protection to those most at risk of severe symptoms from COVID-19.”
The self-audit takes about 10 minutes to complete, according to the DOEA’s website, and asks residents about their personal health and living situations, among other topics.
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“You will spend 10 minutes answering some questions and then immediately receive a custom report based on your life and habits,” the survey’s instructions read. “Find out how likely you are to get or spread COVID-19, how severe it might be if you get sick, steps to reduce your risks and ways to have your needs met during the pandemic.”
Below is a full list of questions asked as part of the survey:
1. Who are you completing this CV19 CheckUp for?
2. What do you think are your chances of getting COVID-19 within the next 12 months?
3. If you were to be infected with COVID-19, what do you think are the chances you would require hospitalization?
4. Do you think you would know if you were spreading COVID-19 to other people?
5. Are you prepared in case you were to get sick with COVID-19?
6. What is your zip code?
7. What is your age?
8. What is your gender?
9. Which of the following best describes your current living situation?
10. Including yourself, how many people live in your household?
11. Not counting yourself, are any people in your household age 65 or older OR younger than 65 with a serious health problem?
12. Which of the following best describes your current situation related to COVID-19? (check all that apply)
13. Do you have any of the following chronic health problems? (check all that apply)
14. What type of health insurance coverage do you have? (check all that apply)
15. Have you, or anyone in your household, visited or participated in any of the following activities within the last month? (check all that apply)
16. In a typical week, how many different people (not counting those who you live with) do you and others in your household come into close contact with?
17. Please let us know how often you do the things listed here:
- I wear a mask when I go out in public
- I cough and sneeze into a tissue or the inside of my elbow.
- I avoid shaking hands or hugging people (outside of my household) when I greet them.
- I wash my hands often and for at least 20 seconds, especially after I go out in public.
- I avoid touching my face with my hands, especially if I am out in public.
- I maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from others if I go out of the house.
- If I socialize with people outside of my household, we maintain a distance of at least 6-feet from each other.
- If I socialize with people outside of my household, we all wear masks.
18. How confident are you that you can follow these recommended behaviors to minimize your risk of getting COVID-19 until the end of the pandemic?
19. Over the last two weeks, how often have you felt the ways described below?
- Feeling lonely
- Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge
- Not being able to stop worrying or control worrying
- Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless
20. Do you need help with any of the following? (12 options -- deal with food, caregiving, insurance, etc.)
21. What is your race or ethnicity?
After calculating your responses, the survey generates your severity risk, which is determined based on these factors, and what’s known as your “safe behavior score.”
“This score is based on how well you follow recommended safe behaviors including wearing a mask, washing your hands, and staying at least 6 feet apart,” according to the survey.
Here’s what your score means, according to the DOEA:
- 0-4.9 -- poor
- 5-6.9 -- fair
- 7-8.9 -- good
- 9-10 -- excellent
The DOEA says the higher your safe behavior score, the less likely you are to get COVID-19.
“When you achieve a Safe Behavior Score of 9 or 10, your chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 are reduced by up to 80%,” the DOEA said in its survey response.
Along with your severity risk and safe behavior score, the survey also uses your responses to generate what it calls your “infection and spreader risk,” your “CV19 CheckUp Report” and a list of recommendations and resources to encourage healthy habits.
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It’s important to note that the site does stress that “the information provided in this report is not medical advice.”
“Your report will provide guidance from leading experts and organizations based on research, science and recommendations published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization,” the survey’s instructions read.
Officials with the governor’s office said the survey is available to anyone and that it can be taken multiple times to see how any changed behavior may affect one’s health score. The resources, however, are selected from the Florida Aging Network pantheon of services most suited for older adults, state officials said.
Click here to take the survey.
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