Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on September 4
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.
State says it’s preparing for 5 million doses of COVID vaccine. Who gets it and how?
2:15 p.m.: Following the federal government’s direction, Florida officials say they are preparing for distribution of 5 million vaccine doses by the end of October, but in the unprecedented frenzy to produce a vaccine before the November election, there remain doubts — about safety, distribution, trust and whether the timeline is even realistic.
In anticipation of a vaccine, the state purchased 5 million syringes and 5 million alcohol swabs, said Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz. He said Florida bought the supplies two months ago in an attempt to get ahead of the demand instead of being forced to compete with other states as it had during the rush to secure personal protective equipment in March.
After logistics, the state must decide who will be eligible for the first round of limited supplies of a vaccine.
The governor said this week that “if there is a safe and effective vaccine, I think that the most vulnerable population should have priority.” He described that as people who are 65 and older and those with underlying health conditions that increase their risk.
Read the story here.
Florida adds 3,198 new COVID-19 cases and 100 deaths as numbers fall across the state
2 p.m.: The Florida Department of Health on Friday added 3,198 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 100 deaths. The numbers are down from Thursday in South Florida and across the state.
The number of non-resident deaths remained at 150.
Florida’s pandemic totals are 640,211 cases and 11,750 deaths.
Read the story here.
‘Radical Jack’ Lieberman, social activist, dies of COVID-related illnesses at 70
9:30 a.m.: Whether it was the recent protests against racial injustice and police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, or the demonstrations in favor of Haitian refugees or against U.S. intervention in El Salvador and Nicaragua, Jack Lieberman was always present.
A left-leaning, rabble-rousing activist, he earned the name “Radical Jack” while attending Florida State University in Tallahassee. Instead of a degree, he earned an expulsion from FSU for teaching a course called “How to Make a Revolution in the United States.”
Lieberman became a fixture in the Haitian rights movement. Alongside the late Rev. Gérard Jean-Juste, he co-founded the Haitian Refugee Center, demonstrated against Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier’s dictatorship in Haiti and demanded equal treatment and asylum for Miami’s new immigrants fleeing poverty and political violence in their Caribbean homeland.
Lieberman died Sunday from COVID-19-related illness at Hollywood Memorial Hospital East. He was 70.
Read the story here.
CATCH UP TO START THE DAY
9 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Friday begins.
▪ Florida’s day-to-day COVID-19 numbers bump up a bit, with 3,571 new cases, 149 deaths.
▪ After collapsing in the spring due to COVID-19, remittances to Latin America bounce back.
▪ Florida’s tourism-marketing agency wants Floridians to become in-state travelers.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on September 4."
