Florida adds 3,614 new COVID-19 cases as US government considers creating ‘vax passport’

ORLANDO, Fla. – With most of the country prepared to lift age restrictions and allow all adults to get vaccinated by May, the Biden administration is working to create a system for people to prove they’ve been vaccinated.

Florida dropped its age limit to 40 and older on Monday, the same day reports surfaced the White House is creating the so-called “vax pass.”

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Reports said the pass could be used by individuals in the workplace, in school or while traveling internationally to ultimately help return to normalcy.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has said previously he does not want to require any sort of vaccine passport in Florida.

“I just want to make very clear in Florida, we are not doing any vaccine passports. All those experts said that it was a bad idea. I think it’s a bad idea and so that will not happen. And so folks should get vaccinated, if they want to, we’ll obviously provide that, but under no circumstances will the state be asking you to show proof of vaccination, and I don’t think private companies should be doing that either,” the governor said on March 18.

The governor also announced last week the state will soon open vaccinations up to anyone old enough to drive.

“We’re ready to take this step,” DeSantis said.

The next expansion happens April 5 and will include anyone 16 and older.

However, people 16 or 17 years old can only get shots of Pfizer’s vaccine due to the federal government’s authorization. The Food and Drug Administration only authorized Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine candidates for people 18 and older. The two are conducting trials in children to hopefully get approval to vaccinate younger patients.

Teenagers wanting to get vaccinated next month will have to be accompanied by a parent and provide a signed form.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Florida reports 5,688 new COVID-19 cases as seniors emerge from pandemic-imposed hibernation]

Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on March 29.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 3,614 new cases on Monday, bringing the state’s overall total to 2,047,379 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020.

Deaths

Florida reported 72 new virus-related deaths Monday, bringing the death toll to 33,891. This number includes the 644 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Monday afternoon, there were currently 2,926 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since last March, 84,707 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 63 new patients who have been recently hospitalized due to the virus, according to the health department’s daily report released on Monday.

Positivity rate

The percent of positive results was 7.58% Sunday out of 47,679 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 3,141,836 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 Monday, 5,679,601 people have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Below is the Central Florida region breakdown of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations for Sunday.

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