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
Florida Adds More Than 3,500 New Cases, 64 New Resident Deaths
Updated Monday at 5:25 p.m.
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 3,513 positive cases of COVID-19 Monday. The state has a total of 2,212,097 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Monday's update also included the announcement of 64 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 34,912. Factoring in non-resident deaths the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 35,600.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 11,744 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 49 deaths due to COVID-19.
— WLRN News
Outdoor Mask Guidelines May Be Relaxed. What That Means To South Florida
Updated Monday at 3:45 p.m.
South Floridians may finally be able to peel off their masks and more calmly breathe the warm air.
President Joe Biden is expected to announce Tuesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidance for wearing masks outdoors. The update likely will factor in new studies about the low risk of getting COVID outdoors.
In South Florida, some cities and counties have loosened outdoor COVID restrictions and mask-wearing requirements, but updated CDC guidance will clarify what the scientists recommend.
Read more at our news partner the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
— By Cindy Krischer Goodman / Sun Sentinel
New ID Program Expands Vaccine Access For Immigrants And Other Vulnerable Broward Residents
Updated Monday at 6:00 a.m.
Throughout Florida’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout, some residents who lack state-issued photo IDs have struggled to get the shot, a result of the proof of residency requirements imposed by the state to clamp down on “vaccine tourism.”
But in Broward County, that obstacle could soon be reduced, as a new program aims to create local IDs for county residents who currently don’t have one — including undocumented immigrants.
Supporters of this community ID measure — which the Broward County Commission approved earlier this week — say it will not only expand vulnerable residents’ access to the vaccine, but also make it easier to sign up for other county and health services.
— By Lautaro Grinspan / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
J&J Vaccine Has Slow Day As Rollout Resumes In Miami, But Officials Expect A Busy Week
Updated Monday at 5:47 a.m.
On the Johnson & Johnson vaccine’s first day back in use, the Miami-Dade College North Campus administered just under 200 doses on Sunday, out of the 3,000 shots available at the federally supported site.
The pause on the J&J vaccine against COVID-19 — which started on April 13 after several women developed blood clots — was lifted on Friday after experts at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration agreed that the benefits of the vaccine substantially outweighed the risks. A federal advisory committee also recommended lifting the pause on the same day.
The Miami-Dade site, along with two others in Tampa and Orlando, were the first locations to resume administering the one-dose vaccine in Florida.
— By Bianca Padró Ocasio / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
On-The-Go Clinics Will Be A Key Tool In Palm Beach County As Mass Vaccination Sites Shut Down
Updated Monday at 5:45 a.m.
If you’re looking for a convenient location to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Palm Beach County this summer, it may get easier to do so — depending on where you live and what day it is.
At the end of May, the Palm Beach County Health Care District will adjust its vaccination efforts from its county-run mass vaccination sites toward running three mobile health clinics that will travel across the county.
The district’s plans still are taking shape with no specifics yet on where the clinics will go. But a spokeswoman said it hopes to announce scheduled visits in advance to raise awareness and attract more walk-ups. Information on the Health Care District’s vaccine efforts will be provided at http://vaccine.hcdpbc.org.
— By Wells Dusenbury / The South Florida Sun Sentinel
Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
