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 2,330 New Cases, 86 New Resident Deaths
Updated Thursday at 4:40 p.m.
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 2,338 positive cases of COVID-19 Thursday. The state has a total of 2,318,480 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Thursday's update also included the announcement of 86 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 36,733. Including non-residents, the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 37,469.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 12,352 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 50 deaths due to COVID-19.
— WLRN News
Vaccination Vans Headed To Party Spots In Lake Worth Beach, Delray Beach This Weekend
Updated Thursday at 5:45 a.m.
As Palm Beach County health officials prepare to spend Memorial Day weekend at popular night spots in Lake Worth and Delray Beach, persuading partiers to get coronavirus shots, evidence continues to mount that vaccination efforts are working.
For the 12th day in a row, Florida reported fewer than 3,500 new cases on Wednesday, far less than the daily average of 5,898 in April.
Palm Beach County, which routinely reported a daily average of more than 300 cases just two weeks ago, has recorded an average of 129 cases daily over the past 10 days.
— By Jane Musgrave/ The Palm Beach Post
Read more from our news partner at The Palm Beach Post
South Florida Counties Receiving $189 Million More For Rental Assistance
Updated Thursday at 5:40 a.m.
More federal assistance money has been approved for renters and landlords in South Florida even as counties struggle to distribute the $165 million they received in January.
Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties will receive another $189 million to help prevent eviction of tenants affected by the pandemic. But documentation requirements have been loosened for this latest round of funding, prompting advocates for low-income renters to hope money can be distributed more quickly.
The first round of funding was part of $25 billion approved by Congress and former President Trump in December. The latest round comes from another $21 billion approved in February as part of the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan in March.
— By Ron Hurtibise / The South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun-Sentinel
CDC Approves First Revenue Cruise From Florida, But Governor May Stand In The Way
Updated Thursday at 5:33 a.m.
Federal health officials have approved the first passenger cruise from the U.S. from Fort Lauderdale in June — but Florida’s governor insists he will block company plans to require passengers be vaccinated.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wednesday gave Royal Caribbean Group approval to start seven-night cruises to the Caribbean on its Celebrity Cruises brand ship, Celebrity Edge, on June 26, according to a CDC spokesperson. The ship is the first to win CDC approval for revenue cruises since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The approval is a welcome milestone for the cruise industry, which has been paralyzed in the U.S. since March 2020 after COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths on several ships.
— By Taylor Dolven / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald
