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
West Palm Beach Will Open Mass Vaccination Site
Updated Wednesday at 2:55 p.m.
The City of West Palm Beach is hosting a state pop-up vaccination site as leaders hope to reach low-income communities most impacted by the pandemic. The state is partnering with the city starting Thursday, April 1.
The mass vaccination site will be open through July at the Mary V. McDonald Wilson Center at Gaines Park.
The city’s fire department will deliver 1,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine every week from Thursday through Saturday.
To make an appointment, head here or call 561-200-3687
— Wilkine Brutus/WLRN
Florida Adds More Than 5,200 New Cases, 87 New Resident Deaths
Updated Wednesday at 2:50 p.m.
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 5,294 positive cases of COVID-19 Wednesday. The state has a total of 2,057,735 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Wednesday's update also included the announcement of 87 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 33,425. Factoring in non-resident deaths the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 34,072.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 11,160 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 48 deaths due to COVID-19.
— WLRN News
Looking To Get A Johnson & Johnson Vaccine? New Pop-Up Sites Open In Miami-Dade County
Updated Wednesday at 6:00 a.m.
Several Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine pop-ups are opening in Miami-Dade County this week.
But the sites won’t stay around for long. Most are opening for one day only.
Unlike Pfizer and Moderna, the J&J vaccine is a single dose, and supplies are limited. None of the South Florida state, county or federally supported sites offer J&J. Only certain pharmacies, such as Publix, Winn-Dixie and Walmart, occasionally have doses in stock.
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
— By Michelle Marchante and Devoun Cetoute/ The Miami Herald
Palm Beach County Partners With Riviera Beach To Address Racial Disparities
Updated Wednesday at 5:55 a.m.
Palm Beach County is still trying to close the racial disparity gap when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations. The state of Florida is partnering with one of the county's predominantly Black cities.
Riviera Beach is hosting a state pop-up vaccination site from April 1 through 3.
The state will deliver 600 doses of the Moderna vaccine.
County officials, including Commissioner Mack Bernard, have long blasted poor efforts in communities with racial minorities and lower-incomes, which are vaccinated at lower rates than predominantly White communities.
This is the latest effort to address those concerns. Riviera Beach is nearly 70% Black.
To make an appointment, please call 877-574-8437.
— By Wilkine Brutus / WLRN News
Amid Spring Break Uproar, Miami Beach Mayor Proposes 2 A.M. South Beach Alcohol Cutoff
Updated Wednesday at 5:46 a.m
Amid resident uproar about spring break and the South Beach party scene, Mayor Dan Gelber is once again calling for a rollback of alcohol sales in the entertainment district — this time to 2 a.m. And if the City Commission won’t approve it, he said residents should place it on the November ballot themselves.
Gelber, who proposed a midnight cutoff for alcohol sales in July, renewed his appeal to commissioners on Tuesday hours after Miami Beach residents appeared before a county board to vent frustrations with the city’s nightlife industry.
“While there are some who clearly will fight some of these ideas tooth and nail, there are others who I think would like to see them implemented,” Gelber told the Miami Herald.
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
— By Martin Vassolo / The Miami Herald
