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.
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QUICK UPDATES
Florida Adds More Than 11,500 New Cases, 122 Additional Resident Deaths
Updated Wednesday at 5:10 p.m.
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 11,541 positive cases of COVID-19 Wednesday. Florida has a total of 1,155,335 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Wednesday's update also included the announcement of 122 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 20,204. Factoring in non-resident deaths the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 20,490.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 7,570 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 30 deaths due to COVID-19.
— WLRN News
Your Last Chance To Get A Free Gift Card In Miami For Food And Medicine Is Almost Here
Updated Wednesday At 7:10 a.m
Miami residents struggling to pay for groceries, medicine and utilities during the pandemic still have a chance to get more than $100 through the city’s grocery gift card program.
But time is running out. After Tuesday’s giveaway, there are only two distribution events left this month.
One will be held Dec. 22 at Jose Marti Park, 362 SW Fourth St., and the other will be held Dec. 29 at West End Park, 6030 SW Second St.
— By Michelle Marchante / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
About 1.16 Million Vaccinations Expected In Florida By End Of December, DeSantis Says
Updated Wednesday At 7:05 a.m
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said he hopes to have 1.16 million vaccinations against COVID-19 delivered to Florida by the end of December.
DeSantis held a news conference at Okeechobee Steak House in West Palm Beach, where he discussed the status of vaccines.
“We got about 180,000 from Pfizer both on Monday and again today,” he said of the vaccines distributed to five Florida hospitals.
— By Wendy Rhodes / The Palm Beach Post
Read more from our news partner at The Palm Beach Post.
Yes, Snowbirds Will Be Able To Get A COVID-19 Vaccine In Florida
Updated Wednesday At 7:00 a.m
When it comes to the vaccine for COVID-19, snowbirds are equal to the rest of us.
Senior visitors spending the winter in Florida, along with seniors who live in the state full-time and those with medical conditions, can get the vaccine here sometime in the coming months, said Jason Mahon, spokesman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management. They’re scheduled for the next round of inoculations after health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes it clear in its “Florida Interim COVID-19 Vaccination Plan” that you don’t have to be a full-time Floridian to get your inoculation: “The goal of the Florida COVID-19 Mass Vaccination plan is to immunize all Floridians and visitors who choose to be vaccinated.”
— By Lois K. Solomon / The South Florida Sun Sentinel
Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Can A $100,000 Robot Help Fight COVID? The Key West Airport Now Has One To Zap The Germs
Updated Wednesday at 6:58 a.m.
Starting Friday, Monroe County’s new $100,000 robot that emits ultraviolet light will begin autonomously disinfecting the inside of Key West International Airport after hours.
At nearly six feet tall and more than 300 pounds, the new arrival is made by UVD Robots. The company says Key West is among the first airports in the nation to acquire one, according to the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.
On its website, the Key West airport says it’s the first Florida airport to have “a new autonomous robot that eradicates 99.9% of pathogens (inclusive of COVID-19), and disinfects the air using ultraviolet technology.”
— By Gwen Filosa / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.