WLRN staff continues to add updates on testing and vaccination sites, executive orders and messages from government officials, and the latest news on COVID-19. You can find information on free food and food distributions here.
The dedicated website for the Florida Department of Health, including information about the 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
State Posts Year's Lowest Numbers Of Cases, Deaths On Sunday
Updated Sunday at 3:55 p.m.
The Florida Department of Health’sCOVID-19 dashboard reported 5,436 new cases and 96 deaths, the lowest number in each category this calendar year.
Though this is the Sunday of a holiday weekend, which means even less data collection and entry than a normal Sunday, there have been holiday weekend Sundays since the last days with fewer cases (Nov. 16, 4,663) and fewer total deaths (Dec. 27, 77). This is the first day under 100 total deaths since Dec. 28 (99).
About the only number on the state level that didn’t look better was current hospitalizations, which reversed its month-long trend with a one-day spike.
— By David J. Neal / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner the Miami Herald
Florida Adds More Than 7,600 New Cases, 183 New Resident Deaths
Updated Friday at 3 p.m.
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 7,617 positive cases of COVID-19 Friday. Florida has a total of 1,814,422 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Friday's update also included the announcement of 183 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 28,565. Factoring in non-resident deaths the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 29,061.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 9,665 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 42 deaths due to COVID-19.
— WLRN News
Veterans Under 65 With At-Risk Health Conditions Can Get COVID Vaccines. Here’s How
Updated Friday at 7:05 a.m.
Veterans under 65 who have high-risk health conditions and are active patients of the Miami VA Healthcare System can now schedule a vaccination appointment.
Eligible veterans include those who have cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, heart failure, coronary artery disease, sickle cell disease and type 2 diabetes. Veterans who are pregnant also qualify, according to the Miami VA.
To see the full list of qualifying health conditions, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/evidence-table.html
— By Michelle Marchante/ The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
Palm Beach County Weeds Out Vaccine Waitlist
Updated Friday at 7:00 a.m
Some 136,000 people got on a waiting list for the COVID-19 vaccine in Palm Beach County, and health officials are trying to find out whether 60,000 of them still want it.
The local Health Care District on Thursday announced it is sending emails asking those residents 65 and older if they would like to remain on the vaccination wish list.
If they don’t respond, they will be removed from the list, said Robin Kish, director of community engagement.
— By Marc Freeman / The South Florida Sun Sentinel
Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Walmart Mistakenly Offered COVID-19 Vaccine To Medically Vulnerable Floridians Under 65
Updated Friday at 6:55 a.m
When Walmart launched its COVID-19 vaccine appointment website Thursday, it included among those eligible in Florida people younger than 65 deemed highly vulnerable to the disease, many of whom had been clamoring for shots but largely unable to get them as Gov. Ron DeSantis stressed a “seniors first” approach.
But what initially appeared to be a significant expansion of vaccine access in the state was instead an apparent mistake by the retail giant, state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, said Thursday evening.
In launching its portal for booking appointments in a new federal partnership, the company listed “Florida resident deemed to be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 by hospital providers” as a qualifying category. DeSantis confirmed this week that he only wanted people in that category to get injections from medical providers — not retailers.
— By Ryan Gillespie, Kate Santich and Jeff Weiner / The South Florida Sun Sentinel
Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
A Broward Detention Employee Died Of COVID-19, Sheriff’s Office Says
Updated Friday at 6:50 a.m
A 43-year-old Broward Sheriff’s Office detention aide died last month of COVID-19, officials said Thursday.
Stephan Fredrick Adams, who died on Jan. 30, was a property specialist in detention at the BSO’s Department of Detention and Community Programs. The agency said in a statement it confirmed the cause of his death on Thursday.
Adams was hired at the department in 2018 as a detention aide and began working at the Joseph V. Conte Facility in Pompano Beach.
— By Bianca Padró Ocasio / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
