COVID and vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Aug. 12
▪ COVID-19 cases are rising in Florida, fueled by the spread of the more contagious delta variant.
We’re seeing long lines at testing sites again. Lines for vaccines are short and the shots are easier to find, too. Besides county-run sites, many pharmacies have Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in stock.
Some places are issuing mask mandates, requiring employees to get vaccinated or imposing other COVID-19 protocols to help stop the disease spread.
Here’s what else you should know about COVID-19 in South Florida:
What’s new?
▪ The Biden administration has begun shipping more than 830,000 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to six Caribbean nations as part of its commitment to help the fight against the global pandemic. The donations come on the heels of the U.S. Southern Command’s COVID response effort in the Caribbean. Doral-based Southcom, for example, has more than 90 COVID-related projects in the Caribbean region alone.
▪ The federal government sent Florida 200 ventilators and 100 high-flow nasal oxygen kits as hospitals care for a flood of COVID-19 patients. There’s no shortage. Florida’s health department said it was to replenish its stockpile of emergency equipment.
▪ Broward school leaders have until Friday to tell Florida if they intend to comply with state rules on mask mandates that call for an opt-out option for parents who don’t want their kids to wear one. Broward’s mask mandate doesn’t have an opt-out. Failing to comply could result in “sanctions,” including withholding the salaries of the superintendent and School Board members, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran warned in a letter.
If you missed it
▪ Florida broke a new case record Tuesday as the state reported 24,753 more COVID-19 cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state — which makes up about 6.5% of the U.S. population — accounted for 18.7% of the country’s new cases on Tuesday based on data the state is reporting to the CDC.
▪ Florida broke its record for current COVID-19 hospitalizations for the 11th consecutive day Wednesday, with 15,449 patients. There were 3,114 COVID-19 patients in the intensive care units, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 8:29 AM with the headline "COVID and vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Aug. 12."
