WLRN staff continues to add to community resource lists, including this article on where kids and families can get food while schools are closed, and this post about whether and where to get tested for coronavirus.
The dedicated website for the Florida Department of Health, including information about symptoms and numbers of cases, can be found here.
The dedicated website from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be found here.
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QUICK UPDATES
Florida Adds 2,258 New Cases Of COVID-19, The Lowest Single-Day Infection Since June
Updated Monday at 12:21 p.m.
After surpassing more than 600,000 positive cases over the weekend, Florida added 2,258 new ones on Monday, according to the Florida Department of Health. It brings the total number of cases to 602,829 statewide.
Monday’s announcement is the lowest single-day infection count since June.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up more than a third of all cases reporting 262,741 positive tests. Monroe reported 1,694 cases.
The state also added 72 new COVID-19 related deaths bringing the total number in South Florida to 4,460.
— By Alyssa Ramos / WLRN
Trump Announces Plasma Treatment Authorized For COVID-19, A Treatment That Has Had Inconclusive Results
Updated Monday at 8:20 a.m.
President Donald Trump on Sunday announced emergency authorization to treat COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma — a move he called “a breakthrough,” one of his top health officials called “promising” and other health experts said needs more study before it’s celebrated.
The announcement came after White House officials complained there were politically motivated delays by the Food and Drug Administration in approving a vaccine and therapeutics for the disease that has upended Trump’s reelection chances.
On the eve of the Republican National Convention, Trump put himself at the center of the FDA’s announcement of the authorization at a news conference Sunday evening. The authorization makes it easier for some patients to obtain the treatment but is not the same as full FDA approval.
Read more at our news partner at The Sun Sentinel.
— By Jonathan Lemire and Mike Stobbe
6-Year-Old Girl Youngest To Die In Florida From Covid-19 Complications, Health Data Shows
Updated Monday at 8:12 a.m.
A 6-year-old girl from Hillsborough County has died from COVID-19 related complications, making her the youngest person in Florida to die from the disease, according to data by the state’s health department.
The girl’s death was included in Friday’s toll, according to the Florida Department of Health.
She is the first Hillsborough County resident under age 18 and the eighth child in the state known to have died from the disease, the state’s data shows.
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
— By Michelle Marchante
South Florida’s Beaches Still Set To Open For Labor Day As Hotels Lower Their Prices
Updated Monday 8:09 a.m.
Unlike past holidays during this pandemic, the upcoming Labor Day weekend will offer South Floridians more choices for outings.
The latest state figures show COVID-19 has eased its grip on Florida. As a result, local governments are leaning toward leaving South Florida’s beaches open, and hotels are offering deals for a pandemic staycation. Their goal is offering these amenities with the hope the public follows the rules on wearing masks and social distancing.
Here’s what you can expect over the Sept. 4-7 weekend.
Read more from our news partner at The Sun Sentinel.
— By David Lyons
Faculty Union Leader To State University System: Let’s Not Be UNC Or Notre Dame
Updated Sunday at 11:15 a.m.
The leader of United Faculty of Florida, a union representing full-time professors at public universities, wants quick action to shut down schools in the event of COVID-19 outbreaks.
“The early results of campus reopenings in this country are not promising as it relates to COVID-19 infections. I certainly hope we will not have the next UNC, Notre Dame, or Purdue,” UFF executive director Marshall Ogletree wrote in an email to State University System Chancellor Marshall Criser III Saturday evening. “But FSU did not get off to a good start.”
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Notre Dame reopened for in-person classes and quickly shifted online because of outbreaks. Purdue University has suspended dozens of students for partying and is dealing with its own cluster of infections.
Florida State University in Tallahassee has launched a dashboard of COVID-19 data that shows 42 students and five employees tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of Monday’s first day of classes. Some will be held face-to-face.
“Depending on the next few weeks and if an infection breaks out, I also urge the [State University System board of governors] to act quickly to close that campus and campus police to break up large gatherings,” Ogletree wrote.
Ogletree said Criser did not yet respond to the email but he did not expect a reply until after the weekend. Criser did not immediately return a request for comment.
In March, the university system was among the first state institutions to take action to slow the spread of COVID-19, directing schools to transition online for at least two weeks following their spring breaks and to prepare for that change to last through the semester, which it did.
Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton began classes for the fall semester Saturday, with some face-to-face instruction planned. At Florida International University in Miami, which will start Monday, “the majority of FIU’s fall schedule — literally thousands of classes — [will be] offered either remotely or online.”
The University of Miami, which is private, began in-person, hybrid and online classes last week. After facing criticism from faculty and students that the university was not being transparent about confirmed cases on campus, the university sent out a memo Friday announcing four on-campus students had tested positive for COVID-19 and dozens more were in quarantine.
—Jessica Bakeman/WLRN
Serving Free Meals During Pandemic Hits School Districts’ Bottom Line
Updated Sunday at 9:40 a.m.
Florida school districts lost nearly $262 million in meal reimbursements and sales revenue during the pandemic, according to a new report from the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
With schools closed from March through the end of the 2019-20 academic year throughout the state, the number of meals provided by school districts plummeted by more than 61%, the report found.
“During COVID-19 school closures, our top priority has been providing access to nutritious meals for Florida’s students and ensuring children don’t go hungry,” Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said in an emailed statement. “Despite navigating supply disruptions, efforts to keep staff and students safe, and the financial challenges highlighted in our new report, National School Lunch Program sponsors have continued doing an outstanding job keeping Florida’s children fed.”
Read the report, released Friday, here.
South Florida school districts have served millions of school meals throughout the crisis, offering grab-and-go packages including multiple breakfasts, lunches and snacks for families one or two days per week at a limited number of school locations, to limit staff members’ exposure and curb the need for families to gather in person.
As WLRN recently reported, Broward County Public Schools took a weeks-long pause in distributing meals, relying on nonprofits to fill the gaps, while the other large school districts in the region, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, have continued to serve free meals through the summer.
—Jessica Bakeman/WLRN News
