The new variant is called JN.1. It's an omicron offshoot that makes up about 44% of COVID cases across the country, according to the CDC.

WUWF’s Sandra Averhart recently spoke to Dr. Susan Laenger, who has been tracking the COVID-19 situation locally. Laenger is an internal medicine physician, who also serves as medical director of primary care services for Sacred Heart Medical Group.

As respiratory virus activity picks up around the country, vaccine levels remain below last year's totals, according to the CDC. Cohen has been on national blitz to improve those numbers.

Starting in early December, about 19,000 school districts will have the chance to order free rapid COVID tests from the federal stockpile for their students, staff and others in the community.

Public health initiatives have long been divisive, but the pandemic turned up the volume to painful levels in Florida, Texas and other states amid a surge of growing mistrust of scientific institutions.

A pair of UF Health therapists saw a need among their patients with long COVID to meet and talk with others with similar experiences.

The latest data from the state Department of Health showed yet another decrease in cases during over the past month, with 6,380 positives during the week that started Oct. 6.

Jason Salemi, a USF associate professor of epidemiology, told The Florida Roundup the data allows people to make “informed decisions” and fosters a sense of trust, though he questioned the cost.

Then-Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith sued after the Department of Health denied his public records request for COVID-19 data in 2021. He says the settlement requires the department to provide COVID-19 data to the public for the next three years.

Prosecutors said the Bradenton family's Genesis II Church of Health and Healing sold $1 million worth of their so-called Miracle Mineral Solution. What they were selling was actually chlorine dioxide, which can be fatal when ingested.

The latest report also revealed that 91,178 residents had died with COVID-19 as of Thursday. That was up from a reported 90,740 deaths two weeks earlier.

Child care centers will stop receiving federal pandemic grants this weekend. Providers pledge to keep pay steady. Tuition? Probably not.