Nearly 2.8 million Floridians fully protected from COVID-19 as US could see 4th vaccine

ORLANDO, Fla. – With nearly 45 million people in the United States fully vaccinated from the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the country could soon add one more vaccine to its arsenal to fend off the pandemic.

However, AstraZeneca’s vaccine candidate is being met with some contention.

Below are three things to know about the coronavirus.

[TRENDING: ‘Tragedy and nightmare:’ 10 killed in Colorado | Fla. woman who coughed on cancer patients could face jail time | AstraZeneca may have used outdated info in vaccine trial]

AstraZeneca’s vaccine efficacy may not be what we think it is

AstraZeneca announced its intention to apply for U.S. emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, touting its two-shot series is 79% effective in preventing symptomatic cases of COVID-19. Researchers said its vaccine candidate was also 100% effective in preventing severe illness.

On Tuesday, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases issued a statement that said after reviewing some of AstraZeneca’s vaccine data, results from a U.S. trial may have included “outdated information.” Officials said that could mean the company provided an incomplete view of efficacy data. AstraZeneca has not said if this will impact when it plans to bring its vaccine candidate to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Read how this information could impact its emergency use approval.

Florida spring break crowds and coronavirus concerns

Though most Central Florida school districts are back in class, college spring breakers continue to flock to Florida.

National outlets have pointed to Florida as a hot vacation spot as the state has comparably some of the most relaxed coronavirus restrictions in the country and international travel comes with its own series of COVID-19 mandates.

Miami Beach struggled with unruly and massive gatherings throughout the weekend, issuing a curfew and even declaring a state of emergency as law enforcement worked to tame the crowds. After an emergency city commission meeting, businesses and leaders expressed concern for not only damages but what the spring break crowds and travel could do to the state of the pandemic in South Florida, one of the hardest-hit regions in the country. Health officials emphasized that the state won’t know the impact of these crowds until at least two weeks after the fact.

Miami-area law enforcement came back in full force after Saturday’s meeting, arresting at least 1,000 people throughout the rest of the weekend. Hospitality officials in Volusia County said they’ve noticed some of the crowd moving to Daytona Beach. See how they’re handling the influx.

Vaccine eligibility in Central Florida

Vaccine eligibility expanded across Florida on Monday, allowing anyone 50 and older to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

The age limit was lowered even further at the Orange County Convention Center vaccination site, which is now accepting vaccine appointments for anyone 40 and older.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings announced the expansion beyond Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order last week.

“It’s not his decision to make,” DeSantis said of Demings. “There’s a structure in the state of Florida on how these decisions are made.”

Meantime, in Miami-Dade County, county-run vaccine sites have announced plans to lower the vaccine age by 10 every week.

DeSantis has previously announced that at the vaccination pace Florida is currently on, he plans to allow anyone 18 and older to get the shots before May 1.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Vaccine eligibility expands as Florida reports 2,979 new COVID-19 cases]

Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on March 23.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 5,314 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the state’s overall total to 2,016,513 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020.

Deaths

Florida reported 41 new virus-related deaths Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 33,449. This number includes the 629 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were currently 2,932 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since last March, 83,804 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 301 new patients who have been recently hospitalized due to the virus, according to the health department’s daily report released on Tuesday.

Positivity rate

The percent of positive results was 6.47% Monday out of 82,077 tests. The numbers reported daily by the state reflect test results from the day prior. Health officials say the rate should remain between 5% and 10% to prove a community has a hold of the virus and is curbing infections.

Vaccinations

The Florida Department of Health began releasing a daily report in December on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

FDOH reports 2,791,216 people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. These individuals either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or completed a two-shot series.

As of Tuesday, 5,057,939 people have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Below is the county-by-county breakdown of new cases as of Tuesday.

To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter and go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.