Vaccine Hesitancy

Children in the United States are currently required to be vaccinated against a range of infectious diseases, including measles, to attend school and kindergarten. Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis announced recently the state will scrap all vaccine mandates for children attending school, describing them as “slavery”.

Florida announced its plans to be the first state to eliminate vaccine mandates for its citizens. Florida’s surgeon general has stated that “every last one” of these decades-old vaccine requirements “is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.”

On the year's final Florida Roundup, we took a look at some of this year’s most compelling stories and topics from across the state — and discussed where they might head in 2023. Abortion, vaccination, education and more.

Workplaces with vaccine mandates are seeing vaccination rates of 90% or higher. A complex mix of factors, including job security, is driving most workers to get the shots.

Beds are filling up in at one of the busiest hospitals in Palm Beach County with the majority of the COVID-positive patients being unvaccinated people. Health officials urge vaccination to help combat the surge.

Private universities begin to require COVID-19 vaccines. Public school districts are struggling with best practices to protect students and staff as coronavirus cases are on the rise. And Florida ended federal benefits months before they expired — now there’s a lawsuit.

This post will be updated today, Monday, June 21, and through the week with the latest information on COVID-19 in South Florida.

On the latest South Florida Roundup, we explored the latest news on masks, vaccines, Miami-Dade County's new chief heat officer, and a financial controversy in the city of Tamarac.

A new investigation from WLRN looks at how senior care facilities are at great risk of hurricanes and rising seas. Vaccine hesitancy in South Florida. Plus, new technology to track what different species are eating underwater.

The number of people getting their COVID-19 vaccine has slowed down. Sundial's panel discussion about where the hesitancy is coming from and a new campaign to get people vaccinated.

Demand is dropping for COVID-19 vaccines, the reason cited by Broward Health for stopping its first-dose vaccinations after April 23. Jackson Health System will do the same later this month. Still, officials have efforts underway to make sure people still get vaccinated.

There’s a plan to use money from the Heat arena’s new name to fight gun violence. Is it legal for employers to require a COVID-19 vaccine? Plus, we take a look back at Miami in the 1980s with Joan Didion's highly acclaimed book.