COVID-19

USF public health professor Donna Petersen says collaboration was critical in helping community leaders respond to the pandemic. In hindsight, she says interventions like shutdowns were in place too long.

These people miss the empathy they felt during the early days of the pandemic. Some have lost friendships, but they strive to maintain the social ties important to mental health.

When Miramar-based Trinity Health Care Services accepted the inflated payments, its CEO was U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who has been the subject of an unrelated House ethics complaint.

In a final report unsealed on Tuesday, the grand jury recommended policy changes including increasing transparency around clinical trials and banning advertisements for pharmaceutical drugs.

The most COVID deaths, 521, were reported in Miami-Dade, followed by 449 in Palm Beach and 365 in Pinellas.

The GOP-led panel wrapped up a two-year investigation with criticism for lockdowns, vaccines, social distancing and masking mandates.

Respiratory viruses like COVID-19 spread more effectively in colder temperatures, putting younger children and older adults at greater risk for infection.

Anyone who got sick with COVID-19 during the summer wave in South Florida has some protection against a future infection, but not full protection against germs spreading in fall and winter. Infectious disease experts recommend what shots to get now.

The federal government is offering for the first time this year four, free COVID-19 testing kits. Experts say it's a move that highlights expectations of another busy respiratory infection season.

There's a new bulletin from Florida's surgeon general. Vaccine experts and historians interviewed for this article can’t remember another state health leader urging residents to avoid an FDA-approved vaccine.

The state agency advises people to skip the shot because it doesn’t target the current dominant variant. A USF epidemiologist says it will still be effective but suggests first asking whether you need the booster.

Although public health officials recommend the newly approved COVID vaccine for everyone age 6 months and older, it may make more sense to wait until closer to the holiday season.