Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on July 25
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.
As Miami continues to battle the COVID-19 crisis, local nonprofits get a PPE boost
3:10 p.m.: Volunteers with local health foundations distributed personal protection equipment Saturday to 42 nonprofit organizations dedicated to South Florida’s coronavirus recovery.
The event was organized by partners including The Miami Foundation, Health Foundation of South Florida and Florida Blue Foundation that secured PPE items in bulk. The 42 nonprofits received a three-month supply of PPE each, said The Miami Foundation President and CEO Rebecca Fishman Lipsey. Bulk items for pickup included 56,000 masks, 240 no-touch thermometers, 292 gallons of sanitizer and 5,000 face shields.
Read the full story here.
10 crew test positive for COVID-19 on first Carnival Corp. ships scheduled to cruise
2:40 p.m.: Ten crew members on German-based ships slated to begin cruises in August have tested positive for COVID-19.
The AIDA-brand cruise ships are owned by Miami-based Carnival Corporation.
The crew members had recently flown to Germany from their home countries in Asia to begin working on the ships, local media reported. After testing negative in their home countries, they then tested negative again in Germany. Shortly after boarding the ships, docked in Rostock, Germany, they tested positive.
Carnival Corp. spokesperson Roger Frizzell said the company does not expect the findings will delay its launch of cruises from Germany on Aug. 5.
Read the full story here.
Counties reporting COVID-19 deaths
2:15 p.m.: On Saturday, the Florida Department of Health named the counties that reported 124 Florida residents who tested positive for COVID-19 and who have died. These people lived in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Alachua, Bay, Duval, Gadsden, Hernando, Indian River, Jackson, Lee, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Nassau, Okaloosa, Orange, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Union and Volusia.
Need a mask? A visit to a Miami-Dade library can fix that problem
2 p.m.: A mask is required pretty much anywhere you go in Miami-Dade these days, and the county wants to make it a little easier for everyone to comply.
The 50 Miami-Dade Public Library System locations started handing out free face masks this week for anyone in need.
“This mask distribution initiative is aimed at helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19, ensure that residents in need of masks have easy access to obtain them,” the county said in a news release.
Read the full story here.
Miami-Dade tops 101,000 COVID-19 cases as state logs over 100 deaths for 5th day in a row
12:30 p.m.: Miami-Dade hit a milestone by smashing through the 100,000 mark of new coronavirus cases as Florida’s Department of Health on Saturday confirmed 12,199 additional statewide cases of COVID-19. The state’s known total is now at 414,511. There were also 124 new Florida resident deaths announced, increasing the statewide resident death toll to 5,777.
Read the full story here.
Jackson nurse’s paintings tell the story of her brave peers amid COVID-19
9:50 a.m.: At the beginning of the pandemic, Tessa Moeller, 28, was working in the Trauma Burn Unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital. As Miami-Dade quickly became a coronavirus hot spot, she started painting what she saw, Miami Herald Neighbors correspondent Christina Mayo reports.
“My initial paintings focused on the chaos, uncertainty and fear that swept through the hospital,” Moeller said.
“I feel compelled to capture this time in nursing and medicine through my art as I have always used painting to evoke the rawness of the human experience. In this scary time, I find that capturing my experience as a nurse during COVID is something that gives me a sense of control and purpose.”
Read the full story here.
‘King of Guayaberas’ Calle Ocho store closes after nearly half century due to COVID-19
9:20 a.m.: After more than 77 years of making guayaberas, the long-sleeved ones woven in Irish Linen that were the symbol of Cuban aristocracy and later graced movie stars, athletes and even presidents, La Casa de las Guayaberas will be closing.
NBC 6 reported that the iconic Southwest Eighth Street emporium that opened in 1971 said in a statement that financial burden from the novel coronavirus pandemic has led to the store’s closing.
Customers have included Emilio Estefan, President Ronald Reagan, Sylvester Stallone and Alonzo Mourning.
Read the full story here.
Florida collects more data on COVID hospital patients than it shares with the public
9 a.m.: The state agency that tracks COVID-19 hospitalization data gathers far more information than it shares with the public, including how many patients are suspected to have the disease but haven’t yet tested positive, how many are in intensive care beds and how many are on ventilators.
The Agency for Health Care Administration, or AHCA, also tells Florida hospitals in its data reporting guidelines dated April 19 to exclude from official COVID hospitalization numbers people who tested positive for the coronavirus but are being treated for other medical issues — even heart attacks and strokes, which are two conditions that can be associated with complications from the disease.
More detailed data would help researchers and public health experts understand the spread of the virus, especially by analyzing trends in areas such as hospital admissions and ICU volume.
Read the full story here.
CATCH UP TO START THE DAY
8:55 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Saturday begins.
▪ Trump praises DeSantis despite record COVID-19 deaths in FL, canceled GOP convention.
▪ Bahamas reverses course on ban on U.S. travelers. All are welcome, but they must quarantine for 14 days.
▪ Florida coronavirus cases climb past 402,000, as 12,444 new cases are confirmed.
This story was originally published July 25, 2020 at 9:11 AM.
