ORLANDO, Fla. – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will award more than $560 million across the country to help local health departments deal with the coronavirus outbreak, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday.
Of that funding, Florida will receive a total of $27,296,306.10.
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As of Wednesday, there are 21 cases of Florida residents diagnosed with the coronavirus in the state, five other Florida residents are self-isolating out of state after being diagnosed elsewhere. Also, a 22-year-old California woman who traveled to Italy with her sister is self-isolating with her in Tampa.
The World Health Organization officially declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.
According to Leslie Dorigo with the CDC, the funding provided to states Wednesday can be used by states and local jurisdictions for a variety of activities including, but not limited to:
• Epidemiology
• Surveillance
• Laboratory
• Case identification
• Monitoring of travelers
• Data management
• Equipment, supplies, and shipping
• Infection control
• Surge staffing
• Emergency operations and coordination
• Risk communication
“State and local health departments are on the frontlines of responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, and we are deeply grateful for their work,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said. “CDC is distributing this new funding extremely rapidly, as called for by Congress. President Trump, and his entire administration will continue working to ensure state and local jurisdictions have the resources they need to keep Americans safe and healthy.”
CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield said the funding will help increase public health capacity where it’s needed most on the local level to stop the spread of the virus.
On Friday, Trump signed the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act. The $8.3 billion bill includes funding for resources directed for grants or cooperative agreements to states, localities, territories and tribes to accelerate planning and operational readiness for COVID-19 preparedness and response. The funding will also support the development of tools and strategies, provide technical assistance and program support and ensure ongoing communication and coordination among public health agencies and partners throughout the response.
To view the list of CDC funding actions to jurisdictions, click here.
For more information on the coronavirus, visit Clickorlando.com/coronavirus.