COVID-19 Florida

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.

Many businesses are still figuring out whether hybrid or in-person schedules work best.

While the latest surge seems to be slowing down, recent data shows that at least 79,573 residents have died with COVID and more than 7 million cases have been reported.

As the DeSantis and Biden administrations feud over a reported change in state policy on ordering and distribution, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines begin going into tinier arms this week.

With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines for kids from 6 months to 5 years old expected as early as next week, Florida is in the national spotlight. It was the only state not to request the vaccine from the federal government.

The emergency authorization paves the way for vaccinations for children under 5 to begin next week. A final signoff from the CDC is expected this weekend.

The state did not preorder supplies of the vaccine for young children from the federal government by a Tuesday deadline.

A state investigation into allegations that the Florida Department of Health fudged COVID-19 case numbers to support Gov. Ron DeSantis’ effort to reopen the state after a shutdown in April 2020, has found no evidence of wrongdoing.

The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive-care units also has increased.

The CDC's running total for Florida was updated Monday to show 6,021,780 cases. Over the past week, the state has averaged approximately 8,055 new cases a day.

USF Health professor Jill Roberts provides some possible explanations for this drop, including vaccine hesitancy that the COVID-19 pandemic intensified.

The Florida Department of Health is accused of violating public records laws by turning down requests for daily COVID-19 data.