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
Fleet Week Port Everglades Postponed Due To Pandemic
Updated Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Fleet Week Port Everglades has now been postponed until 2022.
The popular Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard tradition brings U.S. military ships to different cities for tours and demonstrations. Broward Navy Days made the announcement Wednesday. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has also postponed Fleet Week 2021 in cities including New York and New Orleans.
Broward Navy Days is still planning some virtual Fleet Week events but has not yet announced specifics.
Fleet Week Port Everglades was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
— Caitie Switalski Muñoz / WLRN News
Memorial Healthcare Fills 5,000 Vaccine Appointments Within Minutes
Updated Wednesday at 11:20 a.m.
The Memorial Healthcare System opened its phone lines Wednesday morning to fill up its next round of COVID-19 vaccines for seniors, but the spots were filled almost instantly.
The hospital district spokeswoman said 5,000 doses were available, but operators told callers they were full after 45 minutes. The date appointments would begin was not immediately available.
Seniors age 65 and older, as well as medical personnel who are not affiliated with a hospital were eligible. Walk-up patients will not receive the vaccine.
— By Lisa J. Huriash / The South Florida Sun Sentinel
Read more from our news partner at the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
27 More Publix Stores Will Give COVID-19 Vaccines. South Florida Still Isn’t On The List
Updated Wednesday at 6:05 a.m
More Publix pharmacies will be able to administer COVID-19 vaccines in Florida, adding to the 22 stores in the state already scheduling appointments.
On Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced 27 more Publix pharmacies in five Panhandle counties will administer thousands of vaccines. This comes a week after Publix started its vaccine pilot program.
Publix vaccinations by appointment will begin Thursday for the new stores. Those eligible can make an appointment and see store locations at publix.com/covidvaccine.
— By Devoun Cetoute / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
Second Stimulus Check Update: Some Won’t Get $600 Check And Will Have To Wait For Tax Time
Updated Wednesday at 6:00 a.m
Haven’t gotten your $600 second stimulus check yet? If the IRS hasn’t sent it out to you by the end of this week, you’re out of luck for now.
You’ll have to claim it when you file your taxes later this year.
The good news is you would get a larger tax refund if you have one coming or you’d be able to deduct the money from what you owe Uncle Sam for 2020.
— By Ron Hurtibise / The South Florida Sun Sentinel
Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Miami Cops Cite COVID, Ditch Plan To Attend Biden Presidential Inauguration Next Week
Updated Wednesday at 5:55 a.m
Like recent past inaugurations, a contingency of police officers from South Florida will travel to Washington, D.C., next week to bolster security by mostly assisting with basic traffic details. Before deployment, the officers are sworn in as U.S. Marshals for the day, giving them legal cover to operate on federal property.
But this year, Miami police have decided to end a tradition that dates back to 2004 when George W. Bush was sworn in for a second term. The department will keep its four dozen officers home.
The decision not to attend the inauguration of Joseph Biden as the nation’s 46th president, though, has nothing to do with last week’s failed insurrection in which thousands of marauding supporters of President Donald J. Trump, upset with the election result, ransacked the Capitol Building in an attempt to stop the electoral vote certification. In the melee, Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick was killed.
— By Charles Rabin / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
