Soon after the world learned of a vaccine for the coronavirus that was more than 90% effective, Floridians learned that AdventHealth would be the first hospital to receive the breakthrough vaccination.
AdventHealth Orlando will be one of the first hospitals in Florida to receive doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as one is approved, according to a spokesman for the health care provider.
“AdventHealth has been tapped by the state of Florida as one of the first sites to store and administer the new COVID-19 vaccine – or vaccines – as they come online for use. Many details will be worked out in the weeks and months ahead, and we remain committed to being a national leader in coronavirus treatment and research, and a trusted resource for our community.”
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According to a report by South Florida Sun Sentinel, AdventHealth Orlando will be one of the first five hospitals to receive an approved vaccine for COVID-19. The newspaper said Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Tampa General Hospital and UF Health Jacksonville are also on the list.
Hospitals will be a key role in distributing the vaccine as soon as it is available, according to plans from the Florida Department of Health and CDC.
The governor also released a video statement Thursday saying that preparations are already underway for when the vaccine is available. He expects the shots to be administered “relatively soon” but also said Floridians will not be required to get innoculated.
Find out more about AdventHealth’s role in the fight against the coronavirus by clicking or tapping here.
Below is information provided by the Florida Department of Health for Thursday, Nov. 19.
Cases
The Florida Department of Health reported 9,085 new cases on Thursday, bringing the state’s overall total to 914,333 cases since March.
Deaths
The Florida Department of Health on Thursday reported 81 people have recently died from COVID-19. As of Thursday’s coronavirus report, a total of 18,030 deaths across the state have been related to the coronavirus, a number that includes 220 non-resident deaths in Florida.
State health officials have always maintained that virus fatalities are often delayed in being reported to the FDOH, with some deaths not reported for a month or more.
Hospitalizations
Currently, there are 3,383 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida as of Thursday afternoon, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.
The Florida Department of Health reported 228 recent hospitalizations.
[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: COVID-19 infections rise by 7,925 in Florida as effective vaccine nears completion]
Below is a breakdown of the coronavirus numbers across the 10-county Central Florida region for Nov. 19:
| County | Total Cases | New Cases | Total Hospitalizations | New Hospitalizations | Total Deaths | New Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevard | 14,112 | 164 | 1143 | 8 | 418 | 2 |
| Flagler | 2,484 | 18 | 183 | 2 | 41 | 0 |
| Lake | 9,872 | 57 | 792 | 9 | 243 | 0 |
| Marion | 12,061 | 109 | 1,139 | 6 | 372 | 1 |
| Orange | 53,384 | 522 | 1,731 | 11 | 619 | 6 |
| Osceola | 16,693 | 202 | 918 | 6 | 238 | 9 |
| Polk | 25,897 | 201 | 2,741 | 10 | 656 | -1 |
| Seminole | 11,887 | 101 | 791 | 4 | 261 | 2 |
| Sumter | 3,230 | 18 | 309 | 1 | 91 | 0 |
| Volusia | 14,681 | 118 | 1,043 | 4 | 351 | 1 |
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