Florida continued to set records for COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations on Sunday.
Federal agencies report that an additional 25,991 people tested positive and nearly 16,000 were admitted to the hospital for treatment. On Friday, the state reported 151,415 new cases from August 6-12. Unvaccinated people between the ages of 12 and 49 accounted for 87.7% of new cases this week. Those under 12 who are ineligible for the vaccine accounted for 22.1% of new cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 27 additional deaths in Florida. Overall, 40,584 Florida residents died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March 2020.
Dr. Jennifer Cowart is a hospitalist physician in Jacksonville and a part of the group Doctors Fighting COVID-19. She joined us this morning with more.
Critical Nursing Shortage
Local hospitals are struggling to cope with the flood of COVID-19 patients as the First Coast faces a critical nursing shortage, amplified by the pandemic. In response, Jacksonville University (JU) is expanding its course offerings to meet demand.
JU Provost, Dr. Christine Sapienza, spoke with us about the university’s plans.
The Bread And Board
Another new restaurant opens this week. The Bread and Board, and its specialty marketplace Bread and Board Provisions, are expanding their footprint into Downtown Jacksonville.
Bread and Board co-owner and chef Dwayne Beliakoff gave us a preview of what patrons can expect.
Local Sports
Josh Torres gave us an update on the biggest sports stories of the week including the Jacksonville Jaguars’ first preseason game and the Jacksonville Icemen’s new head coach Nick Luuko.
First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross Associate Producer Katherine Hobbs can be reached at khobbs@wjct.org or on Twitter at @KatherineGHobbs.
