Florida reports 6,817 new COVID-19 cases as the CDC says the recent spike could be linked to variants

Eligible Orange County residents who cannot easily get a COVID-19 vaccine at a county location will soon be able to get one at home.

Starting Sunday, a new program will bring home-bound residents of Orange County free vaccines to anyone who is at least 18 years old. Pre-registration is required to receive a call to schedule an appointment at home. Click here to register or for more information.

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The Orange County Department of Health also offers a mobile vaccination clinic that runs Monday through Friday in Barber Park on Gatlin Avenue.

There are limited walk-ups in front of the clinic from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, although the window can be shortened if the crews administer the daily vaccine assignment. For more information about this mobile vaccination clinic, click here.

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In this week’s Florida’s Fourth Estate podcast, a pediatrician weighed in on vaccine safety when it comes to children. Many parents have no qualms about getting a vaccine themselves, but say they are reluctant to enroll their kids for something that hasn’t been around for very long. Currently, the only vaccine approved for children under the age of 18 is Pfizer’s vaccine.

Some stores offer to laminate vaccination cards for free because people keep getting vaccinated, but according to CBS News, some health officials are warning you may need to think twice before doing that. Click here to find out why.

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[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Florida sees 7,011 new COVID-19 cases as 44% of Orange County infections stem from young adults, teens]

Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 6,817 new cases on Saturday, bringing the state’s total total to 2,118,713 cases since the virus was first discovered on March 1, 2020.

Deaths

Florida reported 50 new virus-related deaths on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 34,676. This number includes the 662 nonresidents who died in Florida.

Hospital admissions

According to the State Agency for Health Care Administration, 3,016 people were hospitalized in Florida with the virus on Saturday afternoon.

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As of last March, 86,894 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 188 new Patients recently hospitalized for the virus, according to the daily health department report released Saturday.

Positivity rate

The percentage of positive results was 6.94% Friday of 98229 to test. The numbers reported daily by the state reflect the previous day’s test results. Health officials say the rate should stay between 5% and 10% to prove that a community has a hold on the virus and is keeping infections at bay.

Vaccinations

The Florida Department of Health began publishing a daily report on COVID-19 vaccines being administered statewide in December.

FDOH reports 4,320,977 people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. These individuals either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or completed a two-stage series.

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Saturday, 7,103,884 people received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

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

To keep up to date with the latest news about the pandemic, subscribe to News 6’s coronavirus newsletter and go to Click Orlando.com/coronavirus