COVID-19

This week on The Florida Roundup, we discuss Florida settling a COVID infection information lawsuit that it fought for two years, new laws that may change how you cast your ballot in the 2024 election, and the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Michael's impact on parts of the panhandle.

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.

The short answer is yes, but a Florida expert weighs in on how you should receive the vaccines this season ahead of another possible tripledemic.

COVID-19 vaccines are free for everyone through the Affordable Care Act. But before you make the trip to your local pharmacy, check and see if your health insurance will cover it.

PolitiFact reviewed more than two dozen DeSantis press releases and news conferences in 2020 and 2021 about the vaccine rollout. We found no instance of DeSantis, or other state officials, mandating that residents get vaccinated

It's the first time counts have gone down after a late-summer uptick, according to the latest state report. Meantime, the number of residents who have died with the virus is nearing 91,000.

Several public health and health policy experts told PolitiFact that it’s highly unlikely any level of government — local, state or federal — will reinstate broad mask mandates or stay-at-home orders in response to COVID-19.

It's one of numerous cases across the county seeking refunds of money that students paid for services that were not provided because of the pandemic.