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Coronavirus Live Updates: Florida Reports More Than 7,400 New Cases, Statewide Cases Approach 900,000 Mark

Vehicles line up as healthcare workers help to check people in while they are being tested at the COVID-19 drive-thru testing center at Miami Beach Convention Center on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020, in Miami Beach.
DAVID SANTIAGO DSANTIAGO@MIAMIHERALD.COM
/
The Miami Herald
Vehicles line up as healthcare workers help to check people in while they are being tested at the COVID-19 drive-thru testing center at Miami Beach Convention Center on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020, in Miami Beach.

This post will be updated today, Tuesday, Nov. 17, and through the week with the latest information on COVID-19 in South Florida.

WLRN staff continues to add to community resource lists, including this articleon where kids and families can get food while schools are closed, and this postabout 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.

To receive WLRN's coronavirus updates newsletter on Wednesdays and Saturdays, sign up here.

QUICK UPDATES

Florida Reports More Than 7,400 New Cases, Statewide Cases Approach 900,000 Mark

Updated Tuesday at 5:40 p.m.

Florida surpassed 897,000 positive cases of COVID-19 as Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 7,459 cases of COVID-19 Tuesday. Florida has a total of 897,323 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.

Tuesday's update also included the announcement of 85 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 17,644. Factoring in non-resident deaths the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 17,861.

Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 6,956 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 25 deaths due to COVID-19.

— WLRN News

Fact Check: There’s No Evidence Florida Is ‘Protecting The Vulnerable’ From COVID-19

Updated Tuesday at 6:40 a.m.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office responded to Florida’s rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations with a tweet on Sunday by the governor’s spokesperson saying that Floridians should “keep calm and carry on” even as many public health experts raise concerns over the looming Thanksgiving holiday.

The governor’s spokesman, Fred Piccolo Jr., wrote on Twitter: “Almost 150,000 Covid tests yesterday. 7.5% positivity rate. Still under 10%. Washing hands. Social distancing. Protect the elderly. Don’t lockdown. Keep calm and carry on. ICU capacity is at 30% available statewide. Hospitals are NOT overrun.”

The phrase “protect the vulnerable” is a familiar refrain from the DeSantis administration. It’s key to the governor’s reasoning for pursuing a policy designed to allow the virus to spread largely unchecked among younger people.

— By Ben Conarck And Mary Ellen Klas / The Miami Herald

Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.

Thousands Volunteer For CDC-Ordered ‘Test’ Cruises

Updated Tuesday at 7:57 a.m.

Tens of thousands of cruise enthusiasts have offered to volunteer for “test voyages” that the cruise lines have been ordered to run before they’ll be allowed to resume operations out of United States ports.

And while cruise lines are so far keeping mum about what the actual test cruises will entail, requirements by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control suggest they’re not intended to be fun days at sea.

Still, responses so far show many sea-starved cruise fans are desperate to escape dry land.

— By Ron Hurtibise / The South Florida Sun Sentinel

Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

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