COVID in context: Doctors say slight increase in vaccinated patients not cause for concern
Sarasota Memorial Hospital reported a recent uptick in vaccinated people needing to be hospitalized for severe illness due to COVID-19, but public health experts are adding context to the increase.
Hernando County school board passes mask mandate with parental opt-out
The Hernando County School Board decided to impose a mask mandate for students and staff, however, members stopped short of joining other Bay Area districts in only allowing exceptions for students whose parents provide a medical exemption form.
Despite judge’s ruling, Florida threatens more districts over school mask mandates
The state of Florida is now warning school board members in Hillsborough and Sarasota counties that they could face a financial penalty for imposing mask mandates amid the current COVID-19 spike, despite a judge’s ruling last week.
Sarasota schools: Licensed medical doctor must sign mask medical exemption form
The superintendent of Sarasota County schools says medical exemption forms for the district's COVID-19 mask policy will only be accepted if they are signed by a licensed medical doctor.
When can kids under 12 get COVID-19 vaccine? Likely not in 2021, NIH says
Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, said he believes it is “unlikely” that a vaccine for children younger than 12 will be approved by U.S. regulators before the end of the year.
EU has fully vaccinated 70% of adults against COVID-19, officials say
The percentage of adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the EU has surpassed the U.S., which has fully vaccinated 63.4% of adults.
Widow urges vaccines at funeral for St. Pete officer who died from COVID-19 complications
St. Pete Officer Michael Weiskopf was the third Bay Area law enforcement officer to die due to COVID-19. At his funeral, Karen Weiskopf said her husband made a "risky decision" not to get vaccinated -- one he later regretted just before he died.
Social Security will be insolvent by 2034 due to COVID-19 pandemic
The new projections in the annual Social Security and Medicare trustees reports indicate that Social Security's massive trust fund will be unable to pay full benefits in 2034 instead of last year's estimated exhaustion date of 2035.
KISS tour dates postponed after Gene Simmons tests positive for COVID-19
Rocker Gene Simmons tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing "mild" symptoms, his band KISS announced Tuesday, prompting the group to postpone its next four tour dates.
Ohio hospital ordered to treat COVID-19 patient with ivermectin despite FDA warning
A judge has ordered West Chester Hospital to treat COVID-19 patient Jeffery Smith with an anti-parasitic drug despite opposition from U.S. health officials.
CDC sees ‘rapid increase’ of severe illnesses from ivermectin use for COVID-19
A new report shows a rise in severe illnesses as more people defiantly use an anti-parasitic drug to treat COVID-19 infections.
CDC adds Puerto Rico, Switzerland, others to 'very high' COVID-19 travel risk list
The CDC said Puerto Rico, Guam, St. Lucia and Switzerland are among the places travelers should avoid visiting due to rising COVID-19 cases.
Citing COVID-19, Taylor County schools to shut down for 2 days
Citing "challenging daily operating procedures" because of a staff shortage related to COVID-19, the Taylor County schools will close on Thursday and Friday.
Judge sides with DeSantis on unemployment benefits
The judge said Gov. DeSantis had the legal right to halt $300-a-week federal unemployment payments to Floridians. The governor had said stopping the payments was aimed at helping spur people to return to the workforce.
Public records lawsuit targets state of Florida over COVID-19 data
A Democratic state lawmaker and a non-profit group have filed a lawsuit alleging the Florida Department of Health has violated public-records laws by refusing to provide detailed data about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flu season could come early as pandemic restrictions ease, students return to school
After record low cases of the flu worldwide last year, there is a lot of uncertainty about influenza activity this season.
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 fall in Florida for first time in 8 weeks
The Florida Hospital Association finally reported a decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations last week, after eight straight weeks of increases.
CDC panel still has questions about need for booster shots
The path to third doses for vaccinated people may not be clear as the nation approaches President Biden’s September 20 rollout goal.
Mother on a mission help families get access to lifesaving drugs during shortages
When Laura Bray's daughter was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, she was shocked to find out that there was a drug shortage for the medication her 8-year-old daughter needed.
4 largest Oklahoma City hospitals run out of COVID-19 ICU beds
Mercy, Integris, SSM Health and OU Health said they either have no intensive care bed space available or no space for COVID-19 patients.