Northeast Florida adds 525 coronavirus cases, 16 COVID-19 deaths
State officials logged another 525 coronavirus cases and 16 COVID-19 deaths in Northeast Florida on Wednesday, as Duval County inched nearer to the ugly milestone of its thousandth pandemic death.
The death count in Duval County stood at 997 residents in a daily update from Florida’s Department of Health. A total of 1,721 deaths have been recorded in the six-county region that includes Jacksonville.
Four deaths were added to Duval County s total Wednesday and nine in Clay County, with Putnam County adding two deaths and one in St. Johns County. | Read more At least one day a week : White House clarifies Biden s goal to reopen schools
2:30 p.m. CDC recommends double or tight-fighting masks; 1 in 3 Americans know someone who died of COVID: Live COVID-19 updates
Wearing a tight-fitting mask or a double mask can dramatically decrease exposure to and spread of COVID-19, a crucial defense against emerging new variations of the virus, the CDC reported Wednesday.
In lab tests with dummies, exposure to potentially infectious aerosols decreased by more than 90% when tight or double masks were used, the CDC said.
“Cases hospitalizations and deaths are still very high, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at a White House coronavirus briefing. Now is not the time to roll back mask requirements. | Read more
The Florida Times-Union
Four Jacksonville Winn-Dixie stores are among 40 across Florida now accepting appointments to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible Floridians, including people 65 and older, health care workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities.
Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers parent company to Winn-Dixie and Harvey s Supermarkets announced last week that it would be allotted the vaccine through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, which will also supply the vaccine to Walmart and Sam s Club and other retail outlets.