Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on May 21
We’re keeping track of the latest news regarding the coronavirus in South Florida and around the state. Check back for updates throughout the day.
Learn how to be a contact tracer
4:35 p.m.: Miami Dade College’s Medical Campus will offer a free online course in contact tracing on Thursday, May 28.
Contact tracers are like virus detectives, tracking down newly infected people and those with whom they may have had close contact with in an effort to isolate them and stop the disease from spreading.
According to the National Association of County and City Health Officials, states in an emergency situation, like the novel coronavirus pandemic, need about 30 contact tracers per 100,000 people. Florida would need to have more than 6,400 contact tracers to meet the demand.
Miami Dade’s training class will be four hours, has 70 spots available, and provides a certificate upon completion.
Register at www.mdc.edu/upskill/
Broward test site on the move
3:55 p.m.: Broward Health’s drive-thru test site at the Festival Market is going to be moved to Broward College’s North Campus, Miami Herald news partner CBS4 reported.
The new location, at 1000 Coconut Creek Blvd, will be behind the OMNI Auditorium and opens Tuesday, May 26th.
Hours are 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and you need a doctor’s script and appointment. Call 954-320-5730 to register.
VP Mike Pence touts Florida’s reopening in visit to Orlando with DeSantis
3:15 p.m.: Vice President Mike Pence met with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and leaders of the state’s tourism industry Wednesday in Orlando, and though nearby Walt Disney World welcomed some visitors for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic took siege, their outlook for the future of the state’s most vital economic engine was mixed.
DeSantis called Orlando “a bright spot” that would “launch our return.”
Read the full story here.
Livestreaming soul legend’s funeral service
1 p.m.: Miami R&B singer Betty Wright died on May 10 and many fans — famous and not-so-famous — wondered when they could pay their respects in person to the woman whose made-in-Miami hit, “Clean Up Woman,” still resonates nearly 50 years after its release.
But because of the coronavirus pandemic, public funerals are a no-go. Instead, Wright’s funeral at noon Saturday, May 23, in Miami will be viewable by live stream. Florida Memorial University and WPLG-Local 10 partnered to livestream Wright’s services on the news station’s website on Local10.com.
Read the obituary here.
FIU shuts down coronavirus testing site after worker tests positive for COVID-19
12:30 p.m.: The COVID-19 testing site staffed by Florida International students and faculty on the Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition grounds had to close Thursday for disinfecting after an asymptomatic member of the site management team tested positive, FIU spokeswoman Maydel Santana said.
Read the full story here.
Coronavirus cases in Florida jump by 1,200 and now total more than 48,600
12:20 p.m.: Florida Department of Health officials confirmed 1,204 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing Florida’s known total to 48,675 as death toll grows by 48 to hit 2,144. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties reported a total of 632 cases.
Thursday’s daily total of newly confirmed cases is the highest the state has seen since April 17, when the state was still providing updates twice a day and reported 1,413 additional cases. There’s a reason for that Gov. Ron DeSantis says.
Read the full story here.
COVID-19 patient in Florida Keys nursing home tells of nightmare life in isolation
11:45 a.m.: At least 13 residents of a Florida Keys nursing home are in isolation because they either tested positive for the novel coronavirus or they are awaiting test results.
One of them, who has multiple sclerosis and is in a wheelchair, says he has been bathed only once in the past six days and has not been able to brush his teeth in nearly two weeks. He also said despite a positive test result for COVID-19, he is asymptomatic.
Read the full story here.
Summer camps info
10:15 a.m.: Some summer camp news in the era of the novel coronavirus.
▪ Belen Jesuit Summer Camp program will be canceled due to COVID-19, the Miami school announced.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded, we have been continuously monitoring the situation, gathering as much information as possible to aid in our decision-making process relating to our summer camp,” Carlos Barquin, Belen’s summer camp director said in a statement on Wednesday. “These are challenging times, unlike anything we have ever experienced before.”
A full refund, including the registration fee, will be issued to everyone who was registered for this year’s summer camp, according to Belen.
▪ Meantime, Jungle Island is planning to offer a Jungle Adventure Camp for children ages 5 to 12 years old from July 6 to Aug. 7. “By the time summer rolls around, kids will be excited to get out of the house,” Curtis Crider, president and managing director for Jungle Island, said in a statement. “At Jungle Island, we are making plans to ensure our campers stay safe. Expect social distancing and a number of preventive measures in place, but our Summer Adventure Camp will continue to be a blast for all those who participate.”
Click here to register or for information.
▪ And the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami is offering a virtual contemporary art experience with free summer Virtual Art Camps. Participants ages 6-13 may join the museum for virtual camps including Studio Arts Camp and Dynamic Design Camp.
Miami-Dade won’t rely on Florida for contact tracing, launching larger effort
9:50 a.m.: Florida’s Health Department has about 200 contact tracers in Miami-Dade tracking the coronavirus pandemic. County Mayor Carlos Gimenez says that’s not enough and wants to deploy up to 1,000 more.
Read the full story here.
Damaged COVID-19 tests in Florida
9 a.m. The Florida Division of Emergency Management was alerted on Wednesday that 1,702 of the more than 90,000 tests administered at drive-thru and walk-up test sites so far in May were damaged in transit.
One of those people who now has to take the test again: Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. He took his test on May 7 at the new state-run testing center near the Miami Beach Convention Center.
At least 25 other coronavirus tests from the city testing site were “damaged” while being taken to a laboratory for processing, Gelber said. He found out on Wednesday, after waiting 13 days for word back about his nasal-swab test.
People who took those damaged tests there, and elsewhere, will need to be retested. Any person whose sample was damaged will be contacted as soon as possible, according to Florida’s health department. These individuals will be prioritized for retesting at the site where they were originally tested.
Estefan, Miami recognizes Bob Marley Day, COVID heroes
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8:15 a.m.: Thursday is the 39th observance of the funeral of reggae music legend Bob Marley, who died in Miami on May 11, 1981, and was buried 10 days later in Jamaica.
The Wailers, Marley’s moniker band, with Miami super producer, songwriter and restaurateur Emilio Esfefan, have crafted a global unity anthem, “One World, One Prayer,” that seems to fit the situation we find ourselves in with the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The song, which also features performances by Shaggy and Farruko, will premiere with a musical tower lighting salute to COVID-19 heroes — the healthcare professionals, first responders, essential workers and others on the front lines of the coronavirus battle — via the 700-foot, $600 million Paramount Miami Worldcenter in downtown Miami.
The 60-story Worldcenter, at 851 NE First Ave., will become an animated billboard, of sorts — lit by 14,000 light emitting diodes — to scroll a gigantic ticker-tape-style read-out of the song’s title along with an electronic mosaic of flags from around the globe. The three-minute music and light show, which can be seen for miles, starts at sunset through midnight Thursday and runs every half hour until May 31.
Estefan said he wrote “One World, One Prayer” two years ago and recorded it at his Crescent Moon Studios in South Miami with the idea of writing something that would capture the human spirit. He wanted to spread a message of kindness and acceptance of one another, extending to nature.
Then came the pandemic.
“Who would have thought that we would be living this current situation and that the message of ‘One World, One Prayer’ would resonate so strongly?” he said. “We need to appreciate the simple things in life and especially the love that begins with our families and extends to our community and beyond — because in the end we are all ‘One World, One Heart.’”
CVS Health opens 37 more test sites at select CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations across Florida
8 a.m.: CVS Health will open the 37 new test sites on Friday, May 22.
There, patients who meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria will get self-swab tests they will administer themselves from within their cars. A CVS Pharmacy team member will observe to make sure the swab is being used properly.
Patients must register in advance at CVS.com beginning Friday to schedule an appointment. Tests will be sent to an independent, third-party lab for processing and the results will be available in about three days, according to CVS.
Among the added CVS Pharmacy South Florida locations:
▪ 1700 S. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale.
▪ 12701 SW 42nd St., Miami-Dade.
▪ 8740 Bird Rd., Miami-Dade.
▪ 591 NE 79th St., Miami.
▪ 1501 S. Federal Hwy., Pompano Beach.
▪ 12401 Miramar Pkwy., Miramar.
Catch up to start the day
7:45 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Tuesday begins.
▪ Florida knew a COVID-19 pandemic was likely. State leaders didn’t warn the public.
▪ Socially distanced slots, masks in the casino — How Miccosukee gambling looks amid COVID-19.
▪ Brightline says local service will stay shut for months; Orlando route still on track.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 8:33 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on May 21."
