Polk woman scrambles to find ECMO machine as husband fights for his life
Kassandra Figueroa is a desperate woman. She is on a mission to find something that is very scarce – an apparatus called an ECMO – to save her husband’s life.
State goes to appeals court in school board mask fight
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has asked an appeals court to block challenges filed by five school boards against a Department of Health rule aimed at preventing students from being forced to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ocoee vs. West Orange High football game on Friday canceled
"Due to a lack of practice time for Ocoee High School football players that resulted from COVID-19 cases and ordered quarantines last week, the football game scheduled for Friday, September 24 against West Orange High School has been canceled."
Pfizer says COVID vaccine is safe for kids: Could it be the key to ending the pandemic?
The vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech already is available for anyone 12 and older.
'Much better': Florida COVID-19 cases at its lowest since late July
The latest weekly total of 75,906 is about half of what the state was seeing in the middle of August at more than 150,000 cases for three weeks in a row.
First responders to rally in Orlando against COVID-19 vaccine mandate
They want to support Orange County firefighters who say they should not be forced to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The deadline for county employees to get their first shot is September 30.
About 30 Disney workers march in protest of vaccine mandate
Around 30 Disney workers gathered in protest of the coronavirus vaccine mandate announced by the Walt Disney Company earlier this summer, as the deadline to get vaccinated approaches.
Florida attorney general threatening to sue Biden administration over vaccine mandate
In a letter to Biden, the GOP attorneys general called the president’s plan “disastrous and counterproductive” and disputed that it can be enforced through OSHA.
Gov. DeSantis pledges to 'fight like hell' over COVID-19 treatment
"We’re facing a massive, massive cut in monoclonal antibody treatments abruptly. Just after the president said they would have a 50 percent increase, we’re now seeing more than a 50 percent cut for the state of Florida."
Florida surpasses 50K COVID-19 deaths after battling delta variant wave
Florida surpassed 50,000 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began, health officials reported Thursday, with more than one-fourth of those succumbing this summer as the state battled a fierce surge in infections fueled by the delta variant.
Florida COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to decline, officials say
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday reported that 10,247 inpatients at 253 Florida hospitals had COVID-19.
Federal judge declines to block Florida ban on school mask mandates
A judge in Miami denied a request by parents of disabled children for a preliminary injunction against an executive order that DeSantis issued in July.
Pfizer to seek vaccine approval for kids
COVID-19 cases are dropping worldwide, but the number of children catching the virus is reaching record levels. The good news is that it may be only a few more weeks until kids under the age of 12 are eligible for the vaccine.
Auburndale High teacher dies at Lakeland hospital after contracting COVID-19
An Auburndale High School science teacher has died after contracting COVID-19. D’Anthony Dorsey was just 24 years old and a life-long athlete.
AdventHealth moving to 'green status' as COVID hospitalizations decrease
AdventHealth is still urging the public to continue to wear a mask, practice social distancing and get vaccinated.
COVID-19 hospitalizations dropping in Florida
The number of people ending up in Florida’s hospitals with COVID-19 continues to drop this week, and that’s good news not just for strained staff but also patients who had elective procedures put on hold.
Florida COVID-19 hospitalizations below 11,000
Florida continues to see reduced numbers of patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Orlando doctor receives threatening mail for encouraging use of masks
An Orlando doctor said she was sent a letter in the mail containing an image of a mask with a Nazi symbol on it. She believes it was sent to her because she was encouraging mask-wearing on social media.
DeSantis threatens Florida cities with $5,000 fines for vaccine mandates
"These mandates are overreaches and they will be very destructive for a lot of really, really good people," DeSantis said Monday.
DeSantis: Florida cities, counties that require employees get vaccinated will be fined
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Monday that any city or county that requires its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 will be fined $5,000 per infraction.