Vaccine

While the number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Florida hasn’t changed much in the last two weeks, Lee Health and Sarasota Memorial Health Care System officials have been reporting a slight increase in hospitalized coronavirus patients in recent months. We’ll explore the latest pandemic trends, vaccinations and available treatments including antivirals and monoclonal antibody treatments.

Amid an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in recent weeks, predictions of a surge in new infections across the South and the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend, Southwest Florida hospital officials are raising awareness about taking precautions and getting vaccinated.

Lee Health and NCH Healthcare System officials commemorated the two-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic in Southwest Florida during a media conference Tuesday.

Learn how reporting to the CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System — or VAERS — works, what happens when serious adverse events are reported, and the rates at which serious adverse events are happening following COVID vaccinations.

Lee Health held a press conference Tuesday about the surge in COVID-19 cases in Southwest Florida and its impact on Lee Health’s emergency departments and overall capacity. The health system warned that the surge peak is expected within the next two to three weeks.

Covid vaccination cards are important documents to keep track of. What if you didn’t?

Get the basics of what’s known about the Omicron variant so far, learn more about how COVID vaccinations and booster shots work, and find out where the flu vaccine fits into it all.

Golisano Children’s Hospital’s Mobile Pediatric Vaccination Clinic will be making stops around Southwest Florida next week to vaccinate children 5 years old and older for COVID-19.

The Miami Dade and Leon County school districts are preparing to file a new lawsuit against Florida over the state’s efforts to ban student mask mandates. Eleven school districts across the state could face financial penalties for continuing to require student mask wearing.The Florida Department of Health has threatened Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings with fines over a vaccine mandate for county employees, but Demings said the mandate doesn’t violate state law as no worker can be fired for not getting the vaccine.Lee Health continues to report declines in the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in its hospitals.The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this week, announced nearly $1 billion dollars in American Rescue Plan funding for community health centers that treat underserved communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. The funding includes nearly $40 million for 45 health centers across Florida.The traditional flu season begins Friday as Florida continues its recovery from the worst surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. Health experts urge people to get the flu vaccine now.

Lee Health and the NCH Healthcare systems have resumed performing elective surgeries as numbers of hospitalized COVID-19 patients continue to decline.State workers in Florida are still struggling more than a year and a half into the pandemic. Three state prisons have closed due to a lack of corrections officers. Agencies under Governor Ron DeSantis' control began ordering employees back to their offices last October with mask wearing and social distancing optional. Since then, state agencies have disclosed little public information about how their workers are faring.Gov. DeSantis is crediting the recent decline in hospitalized COVID-19 patients to his efforts to increase access to monoclonal antibody treatments, but doctors argue that the treatments are just part of the reason why hospitalizations are on the decline and that the treatments are not a replacement for vaccination.A lawsuit filed by several Florida school districts over mask mandates was recently dismissed, but Leon County School District officials say they’ll refile their suit to reflect recent rule changes from the Florida Department of Health. A dozen other Florida districts are presently defying Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attempts to ban mandatory masking in schools.