COVID-19
Top FL officials celebrate GOP dominance in Orlando (plus a sneak preview on 2026 Gov candidates)
Thursday night’s Republican Party of Florida Statesman’s dinner in Orlando was not only an occasion for the party to raise money and celebrate their dominance in state politics, but the event showed an early sneak preview of a group of likely 2026 candidates looking to succeed Ron DeSantis as Florida’s next governor. Lt. Gov. Gov. […]
FL’s state guidance on new COVID boosters isn’t backed by its own references, experts say
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has provided state guidance advising people under 65 not to get the updated COVID-19 booster — but several of the references listed in the guidance document state that boosters help. Ladapo’s three-page document posted Wednesday points to “outstanding safety and efficacy concerns.” Those concerns include the negative effectiveness of the […]
Florida Surgeon General advises against new COVID-19 booster for anyone under 65
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said during a live stream on Wednesday with Gov. Ron DeSantis that the state’s department of health would advise against the new COVID-19 booster for people under 65. “What I have directed our department to do is to provide guidance that really recommends and advises against the use of these […]
New round of COVID-19 booster shots on the way after CDC recommendation
WASHINGTON — Americans older than six months should get an updated COVID-19 booster this fall, according to a recommendation the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Tuesday. The vaccine should be available by later this week, the CDC said in a statement. “We have more tools than ever to prevent the worst outcomes from […]
Gov. DeSantis urges Americans to defy public-health guidance; attacks Trump on COVID
Gov. Ron DeSantis, back in Florida amid his presidential campaign, urged Americans to defy any new federal public health guidance to wear masks, take vaccines, or engage in social distancing in light of an upsurge in COVID cases and emergence of a new viral variant. The move by DeSantis comes as First Lady Jill Biden […]
New survey of Floridians: Vast political differences when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines
COVID-19 cases are rising steadily in Florida and across the country, and a new COVID booster is expected to be available later this month. But a new survey of 600 Floridians shows that getting regular annual booster shots is likely based on a person’s political voter registration. Only 53% of Republicans would either very likely […]
Updated COVID-19 vaccines expected to be available in September, federal officials say
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is gearing up for a fall vaccination campaign that not only includes updated COVID-19 boosters, but the annual flu shot and the newly approved RSV vaccine. “We’re going to be encouraging Americans to get their COVID-19 vaccine in addition to their annual flu shot, as well as the immunizations for […]
Loss of Medicaid coverage in FL raises concerns, ‘possible violations,’ policy experts say
Over half of Floridians who have lost Medicaid coverage did so because of procedural reasons and not because they were ineligible, according to an analysis from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. The Georgetown center, and several healthcare policy groups, discussed the state’s handling of the Medicaid redetermination process following the end of […]
Spread of ‘EG.5’ COVID-19 variant garnering attention in the U.S. and globally
While the Florida Department of Health isn’t placing a lot of emphasis on COVID-19, a subvariant called EG.5 is rising globally. The EG.5 is from the XBB strain of Omicron, and it’s in the United States and other countries. The prevalence of that subvariant has risen from 7.6% in June to 17.4% in July, according […]
Students blocked from campus when COVID hit want money back. Some are getting refunds
Thousands of college students will get hundreds of dollars in compensation as colleges and universities move this summer to settle multimillion-dollar lawsuits stemming from canceled classes and activities during COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. While some of the class-action suits against the colleges and universities are still in litigation, and still others dismissed, several major cases have […]
Public school students set to start classes in FL amid rise in COVID-19 cases
Sixty-one school districts will begin classes for students on Thursday as the Florida Department of Health is reporting a nearly 20% increase in new COVID-19 cases. Only 26% of elementary school-aged children, ages 5 to 11, are vaccinated against the disease. There were 12,869 COVID cases posted on July 21, compared to 15,170 on July […]
FL surgeon general blames COVID-19 vaccine for basketball player Bronny James’ cardiac arrest
Despite scientific evidence from federal agencies, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo this week bolstered the link between the COVID-19 vaccine and cardiac arrests suffered by two University of Southern California basketball players. One of those players is Los Angeles Lakers player Lebron James’ son. Days after Bronny James went to the hospital because of a […]