Coronavirus

Gov. Ron DeSantis says the state does not plan on reopening coronavirus testing sites despite a surge in cases.

These large state-supported sites at locations such as Raymond James Stadium and Tropicana Field shut down this spring as demand for testing waned. But things have changed as cases in the state reach record levels.

Speaking in Sarasota on Tuesday, DeSantis said he's leaving it to local governments to decide whether to reopen their own sites.

TALLAHASSEE --- Florida leads the nation in the percentage of inpatient hospital beds occupied by people with COVID-19, according to data posted Tuesday by the federal government.

As of Monday, 11,863 inpatient beds in Florida were being used by COVID-19 patients, about 22 percent of all inpatient beds in the state, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data show. No other state had as high of a utilization rate.

As of Monday afternoon, about 70 patients were receiving coronavirus care with Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. That’s double the number of patients the hospital’s COVID wing was designed to handle.

“We’ve now exceeded the capacity of our original wing," said Ryan Smith, Chief Clinical Officer at TMH. "We’re creating an additional floor that would take the lower acuity COVID patients that are more stable and then the traditional COVID wing we have used will be the medium level of care for these COVID patients."

A leading education lawyer said Monday that Governor Ron DeSantis’s executive order banning school districts from requiring masks appears to violate the state constitution, and will likely lead to legal challenges as Florida schools prepare to open next week amid a surge in cases of coronavirus.

Hospitals around the country need more nurses, including here in Florida, which has the most per capita hospitalizations for COVID-19 in the country and spiking COVID-19 numbers.

Florida’s latest surge in COVID-19 cases, fueled by the super-contagious Delta variant, is prompting local governments to reconsider their mask policies.

Starting July 30, all visitors to Walt Disney World will once again be required to wear masks while indoors.

This includes guests who have already received a coronavirus vaccine.

The theme park issued a statement on Thursday to announce the changes.

Some nursing homes are seeing a rise in coronavirus cases among staff and residents as COVID-19 surges in Florida and vaccination rates lag. This is leading to some changes in operations.

Masks will be mandatory in Broward County public schools when students and teachers return to classrooms next month, according to a Wednesday decision from the school board that sets up a potential conflict with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In an email to WLRN, a spokesperson for DeSantis doubled down on the governor's recent threat to call a special legislative session to stop any school district from imposing mask mandates.

“The Governor’s position on this has not changed,” wrote DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw in the email.

Leon County is requiring all its employees to get vaccinated or be fired. The county announced the move late Wednesday evening in a statement.

County Administrator Vince Long says he's not concerned about blowback from Gov. Ron DeSantis' office. The governor has resisted vaccine mandates.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor is urging residents to get a coronavirus vaccine with cases on the rise across the greater Tampa Bay region — especially with younger patients.

Castor stressed the need to get a vaccine in a video released Wednesday.

"You have a responsibility to get a vaccine not only for yourself, but for your family and the rest of the community," Castor said.

The presidents of Florida’s 14 state universities — including the University of South Florida — wrote an open letter Tuesday urging students to be vaccinated before returning to campus.