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QUICK UPDATES
Florida Adds More Than 5,600 New Cases, 148 New Resident Deaths
Updated Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 5,610 positive cases of COVID-19 Tuesday. Florida has a total of 1,878,533 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Tuesday's update also included the announcement of 148 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 30,213. Factoring in non-resident deaths the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 30,749.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 10,104 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 46 deaths due to COVID-19.
— WLRN News
New Broward Vaccine Site For Seniors Mistakenly Opens Appointments To Others
Updated Tuesday at 6:00 a.m
Miramar is redirecting a “handful” of healthcare workers to other COVID-19 vaccination sites. The city had mistakenly booked them for appointments at its new drive-thru site, which opened Monday.
The new site is only authorized to serve seniors 65 and older, an assistant city manager said.
City leaders realized the mistake Monday morning after seeking clarity from the state health department on what type of healthcare workers are eligible for the vaccine at the site, said Assistant City Manager Shaun Gayle. The change comes after the Miami Herald inquired about who was eligible under the term “healthcare professionals.”
— By Michelle Marchante / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
COVID Tests At Palm Beach County Jail Surge Following Outbreak; Positivity Rate Still High
Updated Tuesday at 5:47 a.m
In the last five weeks, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has conducted more than three times the number of coronavirus tests at its main jail than it did during all of 2020, records show.
The increased testing came after a coronavirus outbreak at the jail, with 104 people in custody testing positive in two weeks. But that testing slowed in the past week – and even then, one-third of those tests came back positive.
Since testing for the coronavirus began last year, 761 tests have been conducted at the main jail facility. Of those, 582 were conducted after Jan. 12 this year.
— By Hannah Winston / The Palm Beach Post
Read more from our news partner at The Palm Beach Post.
