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 5,700 New Cases, 107 New Resident Deaths
Updated Thursday at 4:10 p.m.
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 5,773 positive cases of COVID-19 Thursday. The state has a total of 2,027,429 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Thursday's update also included the announcement of 107 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 32,957. Factoring in non-resident deaths the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 33,589.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 11,007 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 48 deaths due to COVID-19.
— WLRN News
Uber Offering Free Two-Way Rides To Vaccine Sites For Miami-Dade School Staff
Updated Thursday at 1:15 p.m.
Uber has committed to giving 10 million free or discounted rides to help people get vaccinated.
Up to 1,000 of those two-way rides will be for members of United Teachers of Dade, the union that represents most public school employees in Miami-Dade County.
UTD members can get promo codes by contacting their union representatives.
The free rides will be available through the end of September.
The announcement comes as Florida plans to expand vaccine eligibility to everyone ages 18 and up starting April 5.
— Jessica Bakeman / WLRN News
Gov. DeSantis Announces When Florida’s COVID Vaccine Age Will Drop To 40 And Then To 18
Updated Thursday at 9:48 a.m
All Florida adults will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as of April 5, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday morning.
The next reduction of the age level for automatic vaccination eligibility, which now stands at 50, will be Monday, when the age drops to 40. The following Monday, the age will drop to 18.
Florida residents can pre-register at the state COVID vaccination site or call the vaccine pre-registration numberfor their county.
— By David J. Neal / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
A Walk-Up COVID Vaccination Site Has Opened In Opa-locka. Here Are The Details
Updated Thursday at 6:04 a.m
Florida residents have another COVID vaccine option in North Miami-Dade as the City of Opa-locka is providing 200 vaccines per day to qualified Florida residents.
The site is at the Helen Miller Center, 2331 NW 143rd St., operated by NoMi Health and reporting to Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, with help from federal funding.
“We’re just happy to see that, now that vaccines are widely available and distributed, Opa-locka is getting its just allocation,” Mayor Matthew Pigatt said. “The purpose of the site is an option to get vaccinations in neighborhoods that may not have been getting it in the past.”
— By David J. Neal and Aaron Leibowitz / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
‘Backroom Vaccine Politics’ Block Jail Inmates From Getting COVID Shots, Palm Beach County Rep Says
Updated Thursday at 6:00 a.m
Efforts to provide COVID-19 shots to jail inmates in Palm Beach County have been thwarted by “backroom vaccine politics” with no timetable being given for when the vulnerable population will be offered protection against the deadly virus, a state representative said Wednesday.
State Rep. Omari Hardy said he’s been trying for weeks to get county officials to vaccinate inmates at Palm Beach County’s jail who meet the state’s eligibility guidelines.
Hardy said Wednesday he learned that an “unwritten directive” from the state not to vaccinate incarcerated people has blocked local efforts. He referred to that unwritten policy as an example of “backroom vaccine politics,” where life-and-death decisions are being made behind closed doors with no transparency and accountability.
— By Skyler Swisher / The South Florida Sun Sentinel
Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Boat Show Starts Thursday In West Palm Beach
Updated Thursday at 5:55 a.m
The Palm Beach International Boat Show opens Thursday on the West Palm Beach waterfront, where surrounding roadways will close to accommodate the tens of thousands of visitors expected for the annual yacht exhibition.
The show drew 53,000 visitors in 2019, was postponed last year because of the pandemic, and this year will feature 500 boats on the water and another 300 on land, along Flagler Drive and on the Great Lawn. Vendors of electronics and other accessories also will have booths.
The show runs from noon to 7 p.m. on Thursday; from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
— By Tony Doris / The Palm Beach Post
Read more from our news partner at The Palm Beach Post.
