Coronavirus in Florida updates: Confirmed COVID-19 cases tower 3,000 as fatalities make jump
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We'll update this story throughout the day with the latest news about coronavirus and its effects in Florida.
Positive cases of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus eclipsed 3,000 cases, as expected, Friday, according to an evening advisory from the state Department of Health.
Confirmed cases continue to jump by the hundreds as the state has issued more testing in counties like Broward and Miami-Dade, where together 1,500 having tested positive. The state cataloged 3,198 positive cases of COVID-19, per Friday's evening advisory — an overall jump of 298 cases from the morning advisory.
In Florida, 46 have died of COVID-19 coronavirus complications. Ages range from 39 to 94, with the state's youngest COVID-19 patient dying Thursday evening, five days after testing positive for the virus.
'He was healthy. He was fine':Wife of Florida's youngest COVID-19 victim begs public to stay home
Broward County, where there are 631 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, has recorded 10 deaths related to the virus. Clay, Lee, and Orange counties have all recorded four deaths of their own. Five have died in Palm Beach County.
Of Florida's 3,054 residents who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, 503, or 16%, have required hospitalization.
South Florida continues to act as an epicenter for the novel coronavirus, as reported cases of the virus have barraged Miami-Dade (869) and Broward counties (631), which account for 47% of the state's cases.
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Where is COVID-19 in Florida?: Use this map to track the outbreak of COVID-19
While the virus is hitting all age groups, the majority of fatalities have come to victims in the 75-84 age group, followed by those ages 64-75. Four under the age 60 have died of coronavirus complications.
Of the more than 34,000 who have received testing, 31,114 have tested negative for the novel coronavirus.
The state Department of Health, under the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis, will update the latest COVID-19 numbers at noon and 7 p.m., respectively.
For a list of symptoms, scroll below.
House approves historic coronavirus package, sending $2 trillion bill to Trump’s desk
1:49 p.m. March 27
The House voted to pass a $2 trillion coronavirus relief package – the largest emergency aid bill in history – that will offer $1,200 checks to Americans, extensive unemployment benefits for those out of work and financial relief to businesses and the health care industry hard-hit by the worsening crisis.
The House’s vote allows the bill to head to President Donald Trump’s desk for final approval. Trump has signaled he will sign the bill.
While other states temporarily ban abortion, Florida gives doctors discretion
12:48 p.m. March 27
As states temporarily ban doctors from performing elective procedures in a bid to preserve personal-protective equipment during the coronavirus outbreak, Ohio and Texas have used the orders to restrict abortions. Florida is not following suit.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, like the governors in Texas, Ohio and elsewhere, has banned “medically unnecessary, non-urgent or non-emergency procedures.” But DeSantis, unlike state officials in Texas and Ohio, is letting doctors determine for themselves what procedures fall under his order.
That means abortions, for the most part, should continue even as the state deals with ever-increasing confirmations of COVID-19.
Coronavirus? A woman lies - alone - for 11 days in ICU without test results
7:18 p.m. March 26
For 11 days, Vickie Schafer’s family has waited to hear whether the 61-year-old from Loxahatchee contracted a deadly form of coronavirus that has ransacked the world and is now planting roots in Palm Beach County.
Schafer, with pneumonia in both lungs, was put in a medically induced coma at Palms West Hospital. Still, as of Thursday, results from the test still had not surfaced.
And now her sister, who sat by Schafer’s side for days before she was put in isolation, waits at her West Palm Beach home with symptoms, unable to get tested for COVID-19.
$2 trillion relief bill a lifeline for hard-hit Florida
10:28 a.m. March 27
The historic $2 trillion relief package being considered by Congress could be a big lifeline for Florida, a state hard hit by the coronavirus crisis.
The economic downturn brought on by the virus is expected to be even more pronounced in a state that is heavily dependent on tourism and other service sector industries that have been paralyzed.
That means many Floridians will face a difficult stretch in the coming months. There are a number of provisions in the relief bill that could disproportionately benefit the Sunshine State, from the direct payments to individuals and families to the increase in unemployment benefits and the loans for small businesses.
State offers businesses guidance on alcohol sales
March 27
Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation has issued guidance regarding takeout alcoholic beverages.
Restaurants cannot sell individual mixed drinks made on site — such as margaritas — to go. Alcoholic beverages in sealed containers for consumption off the premises is allowed.
Read more about the regulations.
‘Stunt’ forces U.S. House to vote on stimulus in person
9:50 a.m.
Members of the U.S. House are returning Washington this morning after a procedural move forced them to vote in person on the $2.1 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill.
On Thursday, U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Sunrise, and Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, said on a conference call that they expected to cast their vote remotely in favor of the legislation that passed the U.S. Senate 96-0.
The only hiccup they said would be if a member objected, which would then require a vote in person. That objection materialized late Thursday when Kentucky Republican U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky voiced his reservations about a voice vote.
About 40 PBSO deputies quarantined after possible exposure
8:12 a.m. March 27
About 40 Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies are on self-quarantine for fear they were exposed to the coronavirus, the agency confirmed Friday morning.
PBSO was not immediately able to give an exact number of sidelined deputies or break the numbers down by area of assignment.
The agency already has reported three deputies have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. PBSO said Friday morning that two of those work in its jails division.
Florida, home to millions of elderly residents, doesn't have enough coronavirus tests. Could it be the next epicenter?
6:47 a.m. March 27
The Sunshine State has come under fire after its beaches remained jammed with spring breakers last week and Gov. Ron DeSantis has ignored calls to issue a statewide shelter-in-place order.
That may contribute to Florida becoming the next hot spot for COVID-19, a chilling possibility considering that the elderly are the most likely to die from the disease and Florida is home to nearly four million people 65 and over, the second-highest number in the U.S. behind California.
Containment strategies still debated as numbers near 2,500
6:35 p.m. March 26
As the number of cases and deaths related to COVID-19 — the illness caused by the novel coronavirus — rise dramatically in Florida, the debate over how best to contain the virus and keep it from spreading goes on.
With Florida lagging the nation on social distancing requirements, public health officials, epidemiologists, health care workers, and politicians have urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to shut down the Sunshine State before it becomes the next hot zone like New York City.
Walgreens offers drive-thru shopping from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.
5:52 p.m. March 26
Walgreens made it a little more convenient to shop at its convenience stores.
In a message to its customers, the pharmaceutical store chain said: "We're just a window away. We’re here to make life a little easier with convenient drive-thru shopping, updated store hours and the answers you need."
UF Health workers devise way to reuse hospital materials, otherwise discarded
4:56 p.m. March 26
With respiratory masks used by health workers battling the coronavirus in short supply, the University of Florida Health’s department of anesthesiology has developed masks that can be produced in large quantities using materials already found in hospitals and medical facilities.
N95 respirator masks have been in high demand worldwide since the outbreak of COVID-19. That led a UF Health anesthesiology professor to create a simple respirator mask from the sterile wrapping that is normally used to surround surgical instrument trays before they pass through gas sterilization or an autoclave.
The innovative mask uses Halyard H600 two-ply spun polypropylene that cannot be penetrated by water, bacteria or particles. It blocks 99.9% of particulates, making the masks about 4% more effective at blocking particulate material than the N95 masks, according to Bruce Spiess, M.D., a professor of anesthesiology in the UF College of Medicine, who made that calculation based on the manufacturer’s specifications.
Scott critical of bailout plan for giving too much to jobless
4:28 p.m. March 26
After helping craft a Florida unemployment benefits system that is among the stingiest in the nation, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott is now among a group of Republican senators critical of the $2 trillion coronavirus bailout package making its way through Congress.
Scott, who ultimately supported the massive proposal expected to win House approval Friday, said the $600 weekly payouts to those losing their jobs would “disincentive people from returning to the workforce.”
Palm Beach County orders closure of all non-critical businesses
3:57 p.m. March 26
Palm Beach County officials ordered the closure of all businesses not considered critical. Allowed to stay open are things such as healthcare providers, grocery stores, gas stations, factories, veterinarians, delivery services and much more.
City of Miami to enforce curfew starting Friday
5 a.m. March 26
The city of Miami will enact a 10 p.m. curfew starting Friday night, creating the most severe restrictions yet for the city’s more than 460,000 residents as government leaders push to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19.
Brightline train service suspended, 250 lose jobs
7:45 p.m. March 25
Brightline train service between Miami and West Palm Beach was suspended until further notice late Wednesday and more than 250 employees have been laid off in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a company spokesman said Wednesday.
The high-speed rail service announced it would stop running trains in an effort to limit the public’s exposure to coronavirus, which has infected 141 people in Palm Beach County and nearly 2,000 in Florida, according to state health officials.
The final northbound train departed Miami on Wednesday at 5:50 p.m. The final southbound train left West Palm Beach at 6:40 p.m., just before the rail line announced the shutdown.
Trump declares Florida disaster area as DeSantis defends tactics
6 p.m. March 26
Gov. Ron DeSantis Wednesday continued to defend his decision to not shut down the entire state, and praised President Trump for declaring that a major disaster exists in Florida.
Meanwhile, local communities were moving on their own to close non-essential businesses, impose curfews, and urge people stay home. Orange was among the most recent to enact stay-at-home orders and other local governments have put similar orders on their agendas. Leon County also issued an order, but it left business operations in the capital city almost entirely untouched.
Congress set to boost unemployment payments by $600 a week
4:59 p.m. March 25
Thousands of Floridians suddenly left jobless by the coronavirus were thrown a life ring Wednesday when Congress advanced a $2 trillion bailout package that will provide an additional $600 a week in unemployment benefits.
The money would be on top of Florida’s maximum $275 weekly jobless benefits, which are among the lowest in the nation.
Publix to add partitions at all stores to help stop spread of COVID-19
12:17 p.m. March 25
Publix Super Markets will start installing plexiglasss partitions this weekend at all its stores to help with the spread of COVID-19.
The partitions will be at registers, customer service desks and pharmacies, according to Publix spokesperson Maria Brous. The installation is expected to be finished within the next two weeks at each of its more than 1,200 stores.
What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
Symptoms can range from mild to severe, and some people don't have any symptoms at all. The most common symptoms resemble the flu and include fever, tiredness and dry cough. Some people also develop aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea.
Patients with COVID-19 have had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath, the Centers for Disease Control said.
About 1 in 6 people becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing, according to the World Health Organization. If you experience fever, cough and shortness of breath, call your doctor.
Symptoms may appear anywhere between two to 14 days after exposure, with the average patient seeing onset at around five days, according to the CDC.