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 9,500 New Cases, 227 New Resident Deaths
Updated Tuesday at 2:55 p.m.
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 9,594 positive cases of COVID-19 Tuesday. Florida has a total of 1,667,763 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Tuesday's update also included the announcement of 227 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 25,673. Factoring in non-resident deaths the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 26,080.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 8,934 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 39 deaths due to COVID-19.
— WLRN News
Known Cases Of More Contagious ‘UK Variant’ COVID Virus Double In Florida, CDC Says
Updated Tuesday at 6:10 a.m
A more contagious and slightly deadlier version of the COVID virus appears to be taking off in Florida, where the number of known cases doubled in the last week.
The B.1.1.7 strain, also called the “U.K. variant,” was first discovered in southern England in September and has raised alarms among scientists since. In Florida, cases jumped from 46 to 92, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which updated the data on Monday evening. Florida has led the country in known cases since last week, though California trails closely with 90 known cases.
The updated case numbers came one day after the nation’s top infectious disease expert and chief medical adviser for President Joe Biden’s new administration drew attention to the mutated version.
— By Ben Conarck / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
Broward County Needs Healthcare Help To Manage COVID Vaccination Sites
Updated Tuesday at 6:05 a.m
Broward County needs help distributing COVID-19 vaccines to the community and is looking for active and retired healthcare professionals interested in giving a hand.
The Broward County Medical Reserve Corps, which helps recruit and manage healthcare volunteers in the county, is looking for healthcare professionals, people trained in national incident management or other similar skills to help run vaccination sites managed by the state health department.
Dr. Warren Sturman, a Broward Health cardiologist and the leader of the Reserve Corps, said throughout the pandemic, his group of volunteers worked on making thousands of masks for first responders and nursing homes, partnered with hospitals to secure testing and helped run logistics for plasma donation opportunities.
— By Samantha J. Gross and Michelle Marchante / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
Arbitrator Rules That Broward Schools Can Force Teachers Back Into Classroom
Updated Tuesday at 6:00 a.m
An arbitrator has ruled that Broward schools can require teachers with health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic to work on campus.
The decision, from Arbitrator Roger Abrams, comes after a three-day hearing last week between the district and the Broward Teachers Union. The district has allowed teachers to stay at home if their principal approves.
“This is a win for our students,” Superintendent Robert Runcie said. “We recognize the health concerns of our teachers and will continue to balance their needs with the needs of students who are struggling and must be back in a safe and healthy school for face-to-face learning.”
— By Scott Travis / The South Florida Sun Sentinel
Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
COVID: Jury Trials Begin Again In Palm Beach County As Coronavirus Infections Continue To Rise
Updated Tuesday at 5:56 a.m
As coronavirus numbers continue to climb and Florida attempts to vaccinate residents, the Palm Beach County courts will, again, bring in jurors for smaller criminal and civil cases in the coming weeks as they continue to navigate the justice system during a global pandemic.
Chief Judge Krista Marx told The Palm Beach Post on Monday that as trials commence again, "it’s about sending the legal community and the community (at large) the message that we are stepping back into normalcy, cautiously and slowly."
The courts had been closed to jury trials and many in-person hearings starting in mid-March in an effort to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. As of Monday, 102,968 people have been diagnosed with the virus in Palm Beach County and 2,154 have died, the second highest total in the state behind Miami-Dade, according to the Florida Department of Health.
— By Hannah Winston / The Palm Beach Post
Read more from our news partner at The Palm Beach Post.
