Manatee County School District

State health officials report that Florida has seen more than 2.3 million COVID-19 infections and more than 37,500 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. As of last Friday morning, the state division of Emergency Management reports that more than 10 million people in Florida have been vaccinated against the virus, including more than two million people who have received a first dose and more than 8.1 million people who have either completed a two-dose series or who have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.The Florida Department of Health data scientist who built the state’s online COVID-19 dashboard is receiving whistleblower status. Rebekah Jones was fired last year after raising questions about the accuracy of pandemic data being reported by the state.Gov. DeSantis says Florida will penalize cruise companies that require proof of vaccination of travelers on board under a new state law, but the federal government says cruise ships need to follow vaccination requirements in order to restart cruising. Under the new state law set to take effect July 1, Cruise companies would be fined $5,000 for each customer who must show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.A new study from the policy think tank, the RAND Corporation, finds students who attended school remotely during the pandemic had worse outcomes in math and language arts than students who attended a hybrid model and those who went to class in-person.

State health officials reported 1,976 new COVID-19 cases and 58 deaths, Monday for a total of more than 2.2 million infections and more than 36,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. As of Monday morning, more than 9.6 million people in Florida have received a vaccine, including more than two million who have received a first dose and more than 7.5 million people who have completed the two-dose series or received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.Sarasota School Board members are revisiting the district’s mask mandate amid recent new guidance from the CDC. Theme parks in Florida are loosening COVID-19 restrictions following the CDC's new guidance that fully vaccinated people don't need to wear masks in most settings.St. Armands Key Lutheran Church in Sarasota is hosting a vaccine clinic Sunday, May 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. offering the two-dose Moderna vaccine and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to people with registered appointments and walk-ins alike.The Kaiser Family Foundation has been surveying the public's opinion toward COVID-19 vaccines since last December. 42% of rural Americans surveyed say they will wait and see whether to get the vaccine, will only get vaccinated if required, or will definitely not get the vaccine.The foundation's Liz Hamel says that percentage has less to do with geography and more to do with political opinion, noting that about one in five Republicans surveyed say they don't plan to get the vaccine at allGovernor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law, last Thursday, that makes permanent a popular COVID-19 emergency order allowing restaurants to sell alcoholic drinks with take-home meals.

State health officials reported 3,184 new COVID-19 cases and 51 deaths, Wednesday. As of Wednesday morning, nearly 9.4 million people in Florida have been vaccinated including more than 7.2 million people who have completed a two-dose series or taken the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.Florida officials plan to reinstate a requirement that those receiving state unemployment benefits must show that they’re looking for work and applying for jobs.The Florida Division of Emergency Management this week announced plans to close state-run COVID-19 testing sites throughout the state.The number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is going down in Florida, but new admissions are still higher than in most parts of the country, especially for younger and middle-aged adults.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC have now approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for 12 to 15-year-old children.Collier and Manatee County School District officials are looking to make mask wearing optional for summer school and for the new school year that begins this fall.

State health officials reported 3,312 COVID-19 cases, Monday and 81 deaths. Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida’s vaccine eligibility will be expanded to any one 60 and older on March 15. Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried is criticizing DeSantis’ vaccine rollout, saying it should be easier for medically vulnerable people to prove they’re eligible. DeSantis is criticizing the $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package, saying it penalizes states like Florida where officials reopened the economy relatively quickly. DeSantis is calling on the federal government to revise its distribution model, arguing that money should be allocated on a per-capita basis. Elected officials and advocates in Palm Beach County say the state should prioritize vaccines for farmworkers.

State health officials reported 2,722 new COVID-19 cases, Tuesday, bringing Florida's total to 738,749 cases. The Florida Department of Health also reported 119 new coronavirus-related deaths, Oct. 13, increasing the statewide death toll to 15,722 fatalities.Of the 5,600,616 COVID-19 tests that have been performed in Florida so far, the overall positivity rate fell slightly to 13.19% and the latest single day positivity rate increased slightly to 4.96%.

State health officials reported 7,569 new cases of COVID-19, Tuesday and 187 new coronavirus-related deaths.The Florida Department of Health released a statement, Sept. 1, explaining that Tuesday's reported single-day increase in cases of the virus is inflated due to delayed reporting of test results from Quest Diagnostics. The Health Department's statement notes that the test reporting dump from Quest includes nearly 75,000 tests, some dating as far back as April.The incident has prompted the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Division of Emergency Management to sever ties with the laboratory company.

State health officials reported 3,269 new cases of COVID-19, Thursday, increasing Florida's total to 611,991 cases. The Florida Department of Health also reported 135 new coronavirus-related deaths, Aug. 27, bringing the statewide death toll to 11,011 fatalities.

State health officials reported 2,673 new COVID-19 cases, Tuesday, increasing the statewide total to 605,502 cases. The Florida Department of Health also reported 183 new coronavirus-related deaths, Aug. 25, bringing the statewide death toll to 10,717 fatalities since the beginning of the pandemic.The downturn in the number of COVID-19 tests being reported in Florida continues, even though public health experts say more testing is crucial to containing the virus.

State health officials reported 4,555 new cases of COVID-19, Thursday, increasing the statewide total to 588,602 cases. Aug. 20 marked the fifth consecutive day health officials have reported fewer than 5,000 new cases in a day.The Florida Department of Health also reported 119 new coronavirus-related deaths, Thursday, bringing the statewide death toll over the 10,000-fatality threshold with 10,186 total deaths. Thursday marked the 15th consecutive day that health officials reported at least 100 deaths.

State Health officials reported 5,409 new cases of COVID-19, Wednesday, bringing Florida's caseload over the 500,000-case threshold with 502,739 documented positive cases of the virus.Florida is the second state in the U.S. to report more than 500,000 cases, behind only California.Testing in Florida has been ramping back up after a temporary shutdown of some state-run testing sites because of Tropical Storm Isaias.The Florida Department of Health reported 225 new coronavirus-related deaths, Aug. 5, increasing the statewide death toll to 7,627 fatalities.