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
Miami-Dade And Broward Account For Almost A Third Of New Cases, More Than A Third Of New Deaths
Updated Sunday at 3:05 p.m.
The state ofFlorida’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 11,093 new cases and 135 total new deaths Sunday.
The case count was the lowest single day total since 10,603 on Jan. 3, also a Sunday and accompanied a skid in statewide current hospitalizations. The number of deaths, however, continued a month-long trend of total deaths in the triple digits.
Miami-Dade and Broward added just under one third of the new cases and a tick more than one third of the new deaths.
Read more from our news partner the Miami Herald
—David J. Neal / The Miami Herald
Florida Adds More Than 16,000 New Cases, South Florida Death Toll Surpasses 8,500
Updated Friday at 3:55 p.m.
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 16,875 positive cases of COVID-19 Friday. Florida has a total of 1,548,067 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Friday's update also included the announcement of 186 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 23,799. Factoring in non-resident deaths the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 24,169.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 8,501 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 37 deaths due to COVID-19.
— WLRN News
Marlins Park Vaccinations To Start Next Week. City Fighting For Residency Restriction
Updated Friday at 6:10 a.m
Miami-Dade County residents could start receiving vaccinations for COVID-19 at Marlins Park as soon as Wednesday — but Miami Mayor Francis Suarez wants to reserve doses only for those who live inside city limits under a policy he’s calling “Miami First.”
Even though federal regulations and guidance from emergency managers agree that there cannot be residency requirements for vaccines, Suarez wants to keep vaccines for people who live inside city limits. He presented a resolution at Thursday’s Miami commission meeting requesting that the city manager and attorney “take all legal steps necessary to prevent non-residents of the city of Miami from receiving vaccines prior to the elderly and vulnerable population of our community and the general population of our city.”
Regardless of residency, under orders from Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida’s policy limits vaccinations to people 65 and over, rescue and healthcare workers, and people hospitals determine have conditions severe enough to receive early vaccinations.
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
— Martin Vassolo, Joey Flechas, Douglas Hanks and Samantha J. Gross / Miami Herald
Mask Up! The Wharf Fort Lauderdale Reopening On Jan. 28
Updated Friday at 6:03 a.m
Popular downtown outdoor bar the Wharf Fort Lauderdale will reopen, again, on Jan. 28, with new rules in place to prevent the shocking visual of maskless masses that abruptly ended its first attempt to reopen in November.
The riverside club plans a weekend of events, Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 28-31.
On its website and in an Instagram post Thursday afternoon, the Wharf advised that it would be operating at reduced capacity, with admission only guaranteed with a table reservation. Access for those without reservations will be “very limited.”
Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
— Ben Crandell / Sun Sentinel
Republicans And Democrats From Florida Request More COVID-19 Vaccines For Snowbirds
Updated Friday at 6:00 a.m
Members of Florida’s congressional delegation asked the federal government Thursday for more COVID-19 vaccines to account for the thousands of seasonal residents who move to the state during the winter months, saying that the influx of “snowbirds” is straining the initial allotment.
Seventeen of the state’s 27 House members, along with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Operation Warp Speed COO Gen. Gustave Perna asking to increase Florida’s vaccine allocation from the federal government. The letter was signed by 16 Republicans and two Democrats: Broward County Rep. Ted Deutch and Central Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy. Miami Republican Reps. Carlos Gimenez, Maria Elvira Salazar and Mario Diaz-Balart also signed the letter.
“In pursuit of an end to the pandemic and in the interest of the health of all individuals currently residing in Florida, the state of Florida has committed to vaccinate both residents and non-residents,” the lawmakers wrote. “Consequently, the vaccine is also currently available to all individuals over the age of 65 regardless of residency. This has understandably put a strain on the limited allotment. In order for an effective level of vaccinations to occur in a timely and equitable manner, federal allocation allotments to states must ensure they account for all populations residing in a state, not just those that are residents.”
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
— Alex Daugherty / Miami Herald
