Florida reports 3,344 new COVID-19 cases as data shows more than 55,000 young teens vaccinated

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida reported more than 55,000 younger teens have been vaccinated and as efforts continue, more events are underway to help inoculate younger Floridians. State data shows 55,438 children between 12 and 14 years old have been vaccinated so far.

Orange County public schools partnered with the health department to offer free COVID-19 vaccines to students, their families, and the community on Saturday at three area middle schools. This event is not the only one the district plans to offer as it will provide more opportunities over the summer.

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A Central Florida doctor told News 6 children will play a key role in bringing an end to the pandemic.

“We have a good population, good young population, and it’s going to play a role to get to the herd immunity in our community,” said Dr. Fatma Levent, medical director for pediatric infectious diseases at AdventHealth.

[RELATED: How to find COVID-19 vaccine sites in Florida for anyone 12 and older]

There is also four days left for operations at the FEMA-backed site at Valencia College’s west campus. The site will permanently close Tuesday. This site does not require appointments and since it has opened for operation, the site has administered more than 200,000 doses to the community.

As Orange County refocuses vaccination efforts, mobile sites and events throughout the county are popping up in order to bring vaccines to wear people are. Orlando hockey fans can even get in on free Solar Bears tickets for Saturday’s game if they receive a vaccine at the Amway Center. The one-dose Johnson & Johnson shots will be administered from 4 to 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Operations at the Orange County Convention Center wrapped up operations Friday, ending with 280,541 vaccinations administered at the site since Dec. 26. The convention center offered doses throughout Friday and first doses to those 12 to 15 years old. The county’s website says those who receive first doses at the OCCC will be able to receive the second dose at another location.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Florida sees 2,336 new COVID-19 cases as school districts reevaluate mask policies]

Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on May 22.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 3,344 new cases on Saturday, bringing the state’s overall total to 2,308,266 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020.

Deaths

Florida reported 22 new virus-related deaths Saturday, bringing the death toll to 37,194. This number included the 731 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Saturday afternoon, there were currently 2,078 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since March 2020, 94,080 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 115 new patients who have been recently hospitalized due to the virus, according to the health department’s daily report released on Saturday.

Positivity rate

The percent of positive results was 3.55% Friday out of 94,265 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.

The positivity rate has remained below 5% for over 10 days in Florida.

Vaccinations

The Florida Department of Health began releasing a daily report in December 2020 on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

FDOH reports 7,923,900 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 Saturday, 9,963,783 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 Saturday.

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