PANDEMIC

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee found a connection of more than 69,000 “suspicious” social security numbers used to collect $5.4 billion in SBA emergency loans.

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee found a connection of more than 69,000 “suspicious” social security numbers used to collect $5.4 billion in SBA emergency loans.

With concerns rising about a possible winter surge of cases, a panel of experts has unanimously voted to add the COVID-19 shot to the list of recommended vaccines for children.

Over the last two weeks, Florida has reported 21,586 new cases of COVID-19 and 522 virus-related deaths to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Florida over the last two weeks has reported XX,XXX new cases of COVID-19 and XXX virus-related deaths to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Florida over the last two weeks has reported XX,XXX new cases of COVID-19 and X,XXX virus-related deaths to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pfizer asked U.S. regulators to approve its combination COVID-19 vaccine that adds protection against the newest omicron strains after the Food and Drug Administration ordered the minds behind the vaccine to tweak their shots.

The agency dropped quarantine and social distancing recommendations from its COVID-19 guidelines, what officials said was spurred by estimates that 95% of Americans 16 and up — whether from vaccinations or infections — now have some level of immunity to the virus.

After providing help for more than 17 months, Seminole County is closing its Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

President now cleared of COVID, plays down recession fears

U.S. regulators approved a new COVID-19 vaccine shot option for adults this week.

COVID-19 booster shots for the fall will be updated to fight off newer omicron types, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

A state senator from Orlando is teaming up with the Roth Jewish Community Center to open a COVID-19 vaccination site for young children.

Federal regulators capped a work week of productive meetings with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers by giving final approval on Friday to their lower-dose shots for children younger than 5 years old.

The Biden administration is planning to roll out COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 this month, if federal regulators authorize them, officials said.

Pulse oximeters are small boxy devices that are clipped to a finger and used to measure a patient’s blood oxygen levels using light wavelengths.

This week's guest on "Getting Better with Kirstin O'Connor" is Monica Barreto, PhD, a pediatric psychologist with Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.

Federal health officials are warning areas in the U.S. where COVID-19 cases are rising to consider indoor masking once again.

The number of new COVID-19 infections in Central Florida continues to rise.

COVID cases are falling everywhere besides Africa and the Americas

The CDC extended its national transportation mask mandate only to see it voided by a Florida judge days later.

As the state continues to see a decline, the World Health Organization said in its latest report that COVID-19 cases and deaths are on the decline globally.

The Florida Department of Health transitioned to biweekly reporting of COVID-19 cases following a drop in infections.

Those shutdowns and the struggle to get people to return have forced many businesses to close for good. Many local business owners say they’re finally bouncing back, but it’s been a tough two years.

The milestone comes as COVID-19 cases wane across the United States and in Florida.

The problems the nursing industry is experiencing lately aren’t new issues, said Melissa, 41, who’s in Roanoke, Virginia.

Two years after the pandemic began, more countries are shifting toward a return to normal and learning to live with the virus.

A new plan spells out initiatives and investments to continue to drive down serious illness and deaths from the virus, while preparing for potential new variants and providing employers and schools the resources to remain open.

Christine always envisioned a career in nursing. It’s all she ever wanted, professionally.

The latest round of testing from the Altamonte Springs Sewer Service Area shows a continued decrease in the amount of COVID-19 present in the waste water there; however, it also showed an increase in the percentage of "'stealth omicron" present.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is announcing a change to the metrics used to determine whether to recommend face masks in indoor public settings.

Testing done on the wastewater at the Altamonte and Casselberry sewer service areas both showed a decrease in the concentration of COVID-19 virus, continuing a downward trend of infection in those communities.

As cases continue to drop across the U.S., the nation’s leading health officials said we are moving closer to the point that COVID-19 is no longer a “constant crisis.”

The Food and Drug Administration delayed its meeting next week to review Pfizer’s vaccine for children under 5 because they would like to see more data.

Florida continues to see a decline in COVID-19 cases after a surge in infections caused by the omicron variant.

Flowers could be harder to come by this year because of the ripple effect the global pandemic has had on pretty much every industry.

Orange County is extending the life its three drive-thru testing and vaccination sites for another month.

Florida recently shuttered its state-run monoclonal sites following the Food and Drug Administration’s decision on Monday to revise the emergency use authorization for two monoclonal antibody treatments used in patients with COVID-19.

Gov. Ron DeSantis went on the attack Tuesday morning following the Food and Drug Administrations' decision to revoke the emergency use authorization for certain monoclonal antibody treatments used in patients with COVID-19.

The head of the World Health Organization is warning that conditions remain ideal for more coronavirus variants to emerge and says it’s dangerous to assume omicron is the last one or that “we are in the endgame.”.

The Florida Department of Health is investigating a health officer for the department in Orange County pending an inquiry involving COVID vaccines.

Did you have any idea just how many health care workers are nervous about a physical attack on the job?

The head of emergencies at the World Health Organization says the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, including deaths, hospitalizations and lockdowns, could be over this year if huge inequities in vaccinations and medicines are addressed quickly.

The U.S. Supreme Court blocked a federal vaccine requirement Thursday pushed by the Biden Administration for employees at large businesses to get a COVID-19 vaccine or test regularly while working.

Just last week, we asked: If you’re a health care worker, what are you seeing lately on the job?

Florida continues to break its records as the number of daily COVID-19 cases continues to rise.

Does it still seem like the COVID-19 pandemic just started, or do you feel like we’ve been dealing with this reality for ages?

Saying that the “federal government is not going to come through” on a plan to distribute at-home coronavirus tests, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said the state is honing its own strategy to send tests to vulnerable Floridians.

A group of activists and citizens who are unhappy with Gov. Ron DeSantis' handling of the COVID-19 pandemic were removed from the Florida Department of Health building in Duval County ahead of a news conference being held by the governor.

For the first time since Dec. 17, Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke on the state's response to the omicron surge in Florida.

At least 62,504 Florida residents have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in early 2020, according to a report released Friday by the Florida Department of Health.

At least 62,504 Florida residents have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in early 2020, according to a report released Friday by the Florida Department of Health.

Florida continues to break its records as the number of daily COVID-19 cases continues to rise.

Cars began lining up outside the Econ Soccer Complex before 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

The state health department reported 125,201 new cases on Friday in a one-week period as the omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread.

Just as Americans and Europeans were eagerly awaiting their most normal holiday season in a couple of years, the omicron variant has unleashed a fresh round of fear and uncertainty — for travelers, shoppers, party-goers and their economies as a whole.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel discussed the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine that can cause rare but serious blood clots, advising Americans should be given the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

As more cases of the new omicron variant of COVID-19 continue to be identified, the U.S. expanding booster shot eligibility of the Pfizer vaccine Thursday.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in 52 years, more evidence that the U.S. job market is recovering from last year’s coronavirus recession.

There’s no clear-cut definition for when a pandemic starts and ends, and how much of a threat a global outbreak is posing can vary by country.

Orlando residents now have a new financial lifeline after the city's rental assistance program ran out of funds.

The Florida Department of Health confirmed on Tuesday doctors have identified the first confirmed instance of the omicron variant in the state.

A new poll finds that the stresses of the coronavirus pandemic have been especially hard for younger Americans, in particular when it comes to their education and social lives.

U.S. government and health leaders are working to combat the omicron variant cropping up across the country.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed off on four bills Thursday to prohibit mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for Florida students and workers, calling HB 1B the “strongest piece of legislation” enacted against such mandates anywhere in the U.S.

As travelers are returning home after enjoying time with family, we ran into Vickie Jordan from St. Louis, Missouri at Orlando International Airport.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed off on four bills Thursday to prohibit mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for Florida students and workers, calling HB 1B the “strongest piece of legislation” enacted against such mandates anywhere in the U.S.

Following U.S. health officials’ approval of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for younger children, Central Florida counties began rolling out vaccinations for kids 5-11 this week.

Orange County is now expanding its vaccination site at Barnett Park to include hours geared toward providing jabs for children in the newly approved 5 to 11-year-old age range.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, wasn’t the first pandemic and it won’t be the last.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to a new pandemic low 267,000 last week, another sign that the job market is recovering from last year’s sharp coronavirus downturn.

A Gift for Teaching’s Pencil Boy’s Express is back on school campuses after being on pause due to COVID-19.

For the first time since the beginning of the school year, parents have the ability to choose if their child wears a mask at Orange County Public Schools.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced this week the state is suing the Biden administration over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors.

Last summer, we asked: “Are you or your partner pregnant -- or have you delivered in the past few months?” ... “We want to hear from you.”

The federal Restaurant Relief Fund brought more than $24.27 million into the local economy, helping 120 Space Coast food purveyors get back on stable footing after severe COVID-19 pandemic losses.

Florida's surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, is now responding days after he was asked to leave a meeting with Democratic state Sen. Tina Polsky — who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer — because he refused to wear a mask.

A group of parents, teachers and local politicians gathered outside the Orange County School Board Monday to urge district leaders to extend mask requirements in the classroom.

Gov. Ron DeSantis called for the Florida legislature to return for a special session aiming to provide more safeguards for workers in the state facing vaccine mandates.

The Food and Drug Administration panel endorsed Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine booster Friday, a day after they recommended a half-dose booster shot of the Moderna vaccine.

Eight Florida school districts, including in Orange and Brevard counties, found not in compliance with state COVID-19 measures Thursday will face financial consequences if they do not comply.

The Orange County Public Schools Medical Advisory Committee met early Thursday to discuss possible changes to COVID-19 policies.

As the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to drop in Florida, the state on Friday reported an average of 5,396 new cases per day over the last week.

Maybe it was when the pandemic first arrived in the United States, or perhaps it only happened in recent weeks or months. But if you lost a friend or family member to COVID-19, and you’d like to memorialize that person’s legacy, we invite you to share more.

The Brevard County School Board will meet Tuesday to discuss its mask mandate.

Video-sharing tech platform YouTube on Wednesday announced immediate bans on false claims that vaccines are dangerous and cause health issues like autism, cancer or infertility.

Following the Food and Drug Administration’s backing of Pfizer booster shots, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also endorsed booster shots for older or vulnerable Americans.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings announced Thursday that firefighters who do not comply with the county's vaccine mandate for its employees will not face termination, but rather will only get hit with a written reprimand.

Pointing to a need to “minimize the amount of time students are removed from in-person learning,” the Florida Department of Health on Wednesday issued a revised rule that gives parents more authority to decide whether children go to school after being exposed to people who have COVID-19.

As the state of Florida has seen more than 50,000 people die from COVID-19, an Orlando city commissioner is holding a commnity vigil Tuesday evening to acknowledge those many lives lost.

August has been named the deadliest month of the pandemic so far, according to Orange County leaders, with at least 388 deaths, and more are expected to be added to the tally.

While many local restaurant owners are waiting for more details from Biden's order that businesses with 100 or more employees require their workforce to get vaccines or take weekly COVID tests, at least one already has made up his mind.

As the state is coming down from the latest surge caused by the delta variant, Florida has surpassed 50,000 COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

Orange County leaders say they have yet to receive any notice on potential fines stemming from the mandate that county employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk losing their jobs.

The Friday night lights will be dark at Apopka High School this week after Orange County Public Schools postponed the game with Ocoee High School because of COVID-19 cases.

During a four-week period in August, 237 Florida nursing home residents died of COVID-19, according to a new report released by the senior advocacy group AARP.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits moved up last week to 332,000 from a pandemic low, a sign that worsening COVID-19 infections may have slightly increased layoffs.

A new report released by the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services breaks down COVID-19 deaths by county in the State of Florida, the first time this data has been released to the public since the Florida Department of Health took down the daily COVID-19 dashboard in early June.

Orange County District 3 commissioner Mayra Uribe is reflecting on her time as a leader and her efforts to help the Hispanic community during the COVID-19 pandemic.