Hillsborough County has extended its state of local emergency enacted in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the mandate that face coverings must be worn in indoor locations of businesses, with certain exceptions, remains in effect. Hillsborough County Administrator Bonnie Wise Wednesday signed an extension of the declarationContinue Reading
The City of Toronto, Canada reported 420 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, putting Canada’s largest city, a population of 6,197,000 at 36,821 total cases since the pandemic started. The recent increase in cases has prompted the Province of Ontario Friday to announce further measures in Toronto and Peel Region toContinue Reading
A randomized trial of more than 6,000 participants in Denmark adds new evidence to what is known about whether masks protect the wearer from SARS-CoV-2 infection in a setting where public health measures, including social distancing, are in effect but others are not wearing masks. The DANMASK-19 trial randomized participantsContinue Reading
Michigan health officials announced this week a new emergency order that enacts a three-week pause targeting indoor social gatherings and other group activities in an effort to curb rapidly rising COVID-19 infection rates. Under this order, indoor residential gatherings are limited to two households at any one time. However, MDHHS stronglyContinue Reading
Legislators from California seemingly ignored the strict travel advisory during the COVID-19 pandemic as coronavirus cases surge nationwide and travelled to Maui for the Independent Voter Project’s annual policy conference. More than half a dozen California lawmakers are among the 50 people attending a policy conference at the Fairmont Kea LaniContinue Reading
Scientists say the findings, published in PLOS Medicine, show that an acute loss of smell or taste is a ‘highly reliable’ virus indicator and should now be considered globally as a criterion for self-isolation, testing, and contact tracing. The cohort study, which assessed health data from primary care centres in London,Continue Reading
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has proposed to to the State of New York the shutdown of non-essential businesses, including public and private schools, in nine New York City zip codes where COVID-19 rates have remained over 3% for the past seven days. This plan, which will beginContinue Reading
New research findings contradict statements linking wearing face masks to carbon dioxide poisoning by trapping CO2. During the COVID-19 pandemic the wearing of face masks has become a highly political issue with some individuals falsely claiming that wearing face masks may be putting people’s health at risk. The study publishedContinue Reading
On Friday, the Michigan Supreme Court unanimously said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s attempt to continue a state of emergency after April 30, 2020, without legislative approval was illegal. Additionally, in a 4-3 decision, the court ruled that the Emergency Powers of Governor Act of 1945, which Gov. Whitmer argued allowed herContinue Reading
Tampa International Airport (TIA) announced this week the launch of the country’s first airport testing pilot that will offer two types of FDA-approved COVID-19 tests for all departing and arriving passengers. The testing site, located inside the Main Terminal near the Airside F shuttle, will offer both the rapid antigenContinue Reading
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) announced today that they will cautiously resume offering in-person visitation to families and friends of inmates beginning in October. Effective Monday, October 5, 2020, HCSO will resume non-contact visitations at the Falkenburg Road Jail Video Visitation Center. Along with allowing loved ones of inmatesContinue Reading
As COVID-19 quickly spread worldwide this spring, shortages of supplies, including the nasopharyngeal (nasal) swabs used to collect viral samples, limited diagnostic testing. Now, a multisite clinical trial led by the University of South Florida Health (USF Health) Morsani College of Medicine and its primary hospital affiliate Tampa General Hospital (TGH) provides the firstContinue Reading
At the request of former Board Chair Brad Prechtl and his wife Terri, the Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation (FCSF) is transferring all proceeds from the Brad & Terri Prechtl Fund to a newly-created special fund for immediate financial assistance to cancer patients who have been affected by COVID-19. The FCS Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization thatContinue Reading
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office announced that Sheriff Bob Gualtieri tested positive for COVID-19 Friday afternoon. Sheriff Gualtieri’s symptoms are mild and began with a loss of taste and smell. He has no fever or respiratory issues. Sheriff Gualtieri will follow direction provided by the Department of Health and remain home forContinue Reading
In Angeles City, Philippines, authorities apprehended 546 people for not wearing face mask in public–which is going against a strict ordinance to curb the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Violation of Ordinance No. 546 comes with a penalty of a PHP 1,000 fine for first time offenders –individuals not wearingContinue Reading
CareerSource Tampa Bay has more than $500,000 to assist recent high school graduates ages 16 to 24 years old, begin post-secondary training, paid-work experience, or entrepreneurial training. In response to COVID-19, CareerSource Tampa Bay’s (CSTB) Young Talent of Tampa Bay program is holding virtual informational sessions bi-weekly to inform youthContinue Reading
COVID-19 update The Florida Department of Health (DOH) reported 216 COVID-19 related fatalities for Tuesday, a one day record, bringing the state total to 6,333. Of the more than 88,000 COVID-19 tests performed, 9,446 new positive COVID-19 cases were reported, slightly higher than 12 percent of the total. Florida’s totalContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) reported COVID-19 test results for more than 116,300 individuals on Wednesday, of which 13,965 were positive (~13 percent). This brings the state total to 315,775 cases. By county, Miami-Dade has seen 75,425 cases, followed by Broward (35,566), Palm Beach (23,711), Hillsborough (21,577) and OrangeContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County is working with community partners to provide COVID-19 testing throughout Pasco County. It is recommended that people call facilities prior to going for testing to ensure they meet any guidelines required by the provider. Here is a list of current COVID-19 testing sites for PascoContinue Reading
On Sunday’s “Dr. Bill – Your Radio M.D” show on AM 860 The Answer in the Tampa Bay area, host and physician, William N. Handelman M.D. had a few choice words for media darling and media titled “America’s Top Infectious Disease Specialist”, NIAID’s Dr Anthony Fauci starting at the 16:30Continue Reading
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) recorded single day records in COVID-19 test results received and positive tests on Saturday. On July 11, 142,981 test results were reported to the state with 15,300 new positive COVID-19 cases out of that total, giving it a 11.25 percent positivity rate–a third-day decline.Continue Reading
