Statewide taskforce faced with new urgency to help vaccinate Black Floridians

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• Florida, Jacksonville COVID-19 cases almost double in 1 week New COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Florida and in and around Jacksonville have spiked to levels not seen in months. The White House said the state is playing an outsized role in driving up concerning national numbers. The growth in cases has risen for four weeks in a row and is now at levels not seen since winter. Over the past week, 45,603 new COVID-19 cases were identified in Florida, an average of 6,515 new cases per day, according to…
• Lightfoot sounds COVID-19 alarm as cases jump 69%: ‘Get a vaccine today’ Mayor Lori Lightfoot, pictured at a July 6 news conference, urged residents on Tuesday to get a COVID-19 shot as cases swing upward again. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-TimesInfection rates have been creeping back upward across Illinois since hitting pandemic lows in mid-June, around the time the whole state reopened.  Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday issued an urgent plea to Chicagoans to get their COVID-19 vaccinations as cases of the deadly respiratory disease start ticking up yet again. About two-thirds of city…
• Greater Jacksonville driving Florida’s COVID-19 surge Florida’s number of coronavirus cases diagnosed last week -- 45,449 -- is nearing the increases seen in last summer’s spike. That week-to-week growth rate of infections is the highest the state has seen since June 2020. Nearly one-in-five of the nation’s new COVID-19 infections is from Florida, White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients said at a briefing. The rate in Jacksonville and three nearby counties are even higher, leading the state in new infections per capita and surpassing the increases…
• DeSantis aims to quell COVID-19 concerns, pointing to lack of hospitalizations Aiming to dispel concerns about Florida’s surging COVID-19 infections, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday defended the state’s efforts to combat the spread of the deadly disease. DeSantis sought to assuage unease about the state’s rising caseload, chalking up the rising number of cases in Florida to a seasonal pattern throughout the Sun Belt. He also noted that a vast majority of new infections are being found among unvaccinated Floridians. “If you are vaccinated, though, the number of people that end…
• COVID-19 vaccines available at hundreds of sites in Northeast Florida More than 11 million Floridians have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since the shots became available in mid-December -- first to health care workers and senior-living residents and staff. Find a vaccination site location near you by vising vaccinefinder.org. At the beginning of the year, members of the general public above age 65 began getting vaccinated. In March, the qualifying age began dropping. A month later, it was available to all adults. One vaccine -- Pfizer…
• Fireworks-related incidents down in East Palo Alto, Menlo Park MENLO PARK – Fireworks-related calls this fireworks season fell by roughly 45% in Menlo Park compared with last year, while East Palo Alto saw a nearly 60% decrease in non-gunfire activations of its gunfire-detection technology during the same time frame, according to a task force assembled to rein in the use of illegal fireworks. The task force – composed of officers from the East Palo Alto and Menlo Park police departments and members of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District…
• Moscow drops vaccination proof demand for restaurant clients Authorities in the Russian capital on Friday canceled their order for restaurants to only admit customers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, recovered from the coronavirus or can produce a negative test. The softening of restrictions reflects their devastating impact on restaurant owners, who pleaded with city officials to rescind them. The decision comes even as the capital is continuing to see a surge in infections and Russia registered a new daily record of coronavirus deaths Friday. The move announced…
• A 24-year-old man who had a double lung transplant after getting COVID-19 said he regretted not getting the vaccine FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images A 24-year-old who was unvaccinated contracted COVID-19 and needed a double lung transplant. Blake Bargatze told his family he was worried about side effects, but that he regretted not getting the shot. Now he and his family are encouraging others to get vaccinated. See more stories on Insider's business page. The family of a 24-year-old man who underwent a double lung transplant after getting sick with COVID-19 said he regretted not getting the shot.…
• How worried should you be about the recent rise in coronavirus cases? Here’s what to know More than a year into the coronavirus pandemic, plenty of questions still linger about the virus’s spread and what it means for Southern California residents. That point was emphasized on Thursday, July 15, when Los Angeles County health officials announced that people will once more be required to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. The first full day the reimposed mandate will be in effect is Sunday, July 18. Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties — and Pasadena, which…
• SUU's new interim president will become first woman to hold title The Utah System of Higher Education announced its choice for Southern Utah University’s interim president, who will become the first woman to serve in that role at the school. | Southern Utah UniversityThe Utah System of Higher Education announced its choice for Southern Utah University's interim president, who will become the first woman to serve in that role at the school. Mindy Benson, current vice president of alumni and community relations for the university, will serve as president until the…