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
COVID Wards Are Emptying Out In South Florida. Doctors Say It’s Proof Vaccines Work
Updated Monday at 5:40 a.m.
At the height of Florida’s summer COVID-19 surge, there were more than 2,000 people hospitalized with the novel illness in the epicenter of Miami-Dade County. Now, with 1.2 million people in the county fully vaccinated, that number has dropped to below 300 for the first time since mid-October.
The plummet comes as hospital COVID units are emptying out across the state, where fewer than 1,800 people are being treated for the disease statewide, compared to the late July height of about 9,500.
In South Florida, hospital leaders are attributing the patient plunge to the efficacy of the three federally authorized vaccines. About 60% of Floridians 25 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. That percentage jumps to 66% for the 35-and-older bracket, and 70% for those 45 and older.
— By Ben Conarck / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald
Palm Beach County Libraries Return To Pre-COVID Hours
Updated Monday at 5:30 a.m.
Readers, grab your bookmarks: Palm Beach County libraries will return to pre-pandemic operating hours starting Saturday.
Not only will hours resume at 15 of the county's 17 library branches, but study rooms will be available on a first-come, first served basis; furniture will be added for more work and study spaces; and the libraries will have more computers available for internet access.
Two libraries remain closed for renovations: Wellington Branch on Royal Fern Drive and the Lantana Road Branch.
— By Hannah Morse / The Palm Beach Post
Read more from our news partner at The Palm Beach Post
