Weather stymies some Central Florida vaccination sites as state sees 5,666 new COVID-19 cases

ORLANDO, Fla. – Heavy rains Tuesday morning put a damper on some Central Florida vaccination efforts.

A vaccination event planned for Tuesday at Parkwood Plaza in Orlando was canceled because of the weather. Orlando Commissioner Regina Hill made the announcement in a release Monday afternoon.

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Meanwhile, the FEMA-backed vaccine site at Valencia College West Campus in Orlando temporarily halted operations until conditions improved later Tuesday morning then suspended them again later in the day. This comes the same day the walk-up vaccine site started offering first doses of the Pfizer vaccine again, while use of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine is still on pause.

Experts at the European Medicines Agency are preparing Tuesday to present the conclusions of their investigation into possible links between the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine and very rare cases of unusual clotting disorders detected in the U.S.

Last week, J&J halted its European rollout of its one-dose vaccine after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended officials pause its use while the rare blood clot cases are examined. Officials identified six cases of highly unusual blood clots among nearly 7 million people who were immunized with the shot in the U.S.

U.S. regulators are expected to offer their conclusions later this week.

At the same time, Orange County leaders announced that there were still plenty of vaccine appointments available at the Orange County Convention Center. The county offered 17,000 appointments for this week, and 11,000 appointments were still available as of 5 p.m. Monday.

The county is hoping to start easing its mask mandate and social distancing restrictions once the vaccination rate reaches 50%.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said Monday, 29.73% of Orange County residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine and he said 53.5% of people 40 and older have received at least one shot.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: US hits vaccination milestone as Florida reports 4,290 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 April 20.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 5,666 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the state’s overall total to 2,178,783 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020.

Deaths

Florida reported 67 new virus-related deaths Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 35,209. This number includes the 676 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were currently 3,478 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since last March, 88,521 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 247 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 6.89% Monday out of 82,264 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 2020 on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

FDOH reports 5,199,978 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, 8,143,599 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 Tuesday.

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