The dramatic rollback of mask-wearing and physical distancing recommended last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention applies only to people who have been fully vaccinated. Even if you are vaccinated, though, you don’t need to change your behavior one iota if doing so makes you uncomfortable.
Health & Society
Made Invisible at DeSantis’s Pandemic Briefings, Surgeon General Scott Rivkees Will Remain as Surgeon General
Following a tumultuous two years filled with surges in Covid-19 cases, transparency issues and limited public appearances after being off-message at a DeSantis news conference, Scott Rivkees will stay on as Florida’s Surgeon General.
GOP and Democrats Agreed to $2 Million Increase in Poor’s Access to Contraception. DeSantis Vetoed It.
The Florida Catholic Conference–making false claims that have been repeatedly debunked, even by the National Catholic Reporter, about a particular contraceptive method– sent a letter May 12 to DeSantis requesting that he veto the funding.
Volunteers: The Flagler Health Department’s Secret Weapon in an Epic Covid Fight
From the heady days of frantic covid testing to the headier days of vaccination drives at the Flagler County Fairgrounds, the county airport and elsewhere, a corps of over 100 volunteers have assisted the Flagler Health Department and county emergency services in pulling off an epic feat of safety and coordination. Here are the stories of three of them: Judy Mazzella, Moya Thompson, and Dr. Stephen Playe, as told by Gretchen Smith.
Flagler Community Paramedic Caryn Prather Honored with Red Cross’ Heroes Among Us Award
Flagler County Community Paramedic Caryn Prather on Friday was bestowed with the honor “Heroes Among Us” as a frontline worker by the American Red Cross of Central Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The award was presented for her work during the 2020 calendar year to develop a plan for a mass Covid-19 testing site, and later by continuing to individually test residents.
With Just 28% of Students Vaccinated, Stetson Is Offering Chance at Free Tuition With Proof of Shots
Two full-tuition awards will be announced on July 30, but weekly drawings for $1,000 awards will run from June 11 through July 30. The winner’s money is applied to a student’s tuition bill, and free campus parking.
Little-Known Illnesses Turning Up in Covid Long-Haulers
“Waves and waves” of “long-haul” covid patients are remaining sick long after retesting negative for the virus. A significant percentage are suffering from syndromes that few doctors understand or treat. For some, the consequences are life altering.
Treating Workers Like They’re Disposable Is Bad Business
The entire fast-food industry rests on a low-wage, high-turnover foundation. And at those rare moments — like this spring — when new workers seem harder to find, the industry starts expecting its politician pals to cut away at jobless benefits and force workers to take positions that don’t pay a living wage.
Rejecting Challenge to Marijuana Law, Florida Supreme Court Says Operators Must Handle Every Aspect of Pot Business
The 2017 law’s requirement that marijuana operators handle all aspects of the cannabis business involves what is known as “vertical integration.” In arguing that the requirement is unconstitutional, Florigrown contended that it limits the number of companies that can participate in the industry.
Gov. DeSantis Names Fidelia Roster of Palm Coast to State Board of Nursing
Gov. Ron DeSantis today announced the appointment of eight Floridians to the 13-member state Board of Nursing, including Fidelia Roster of Palm Coast.
A Petition Sparks Flagler Beach Consideration of Better Beach Access for the Disabled
Responding to a social media petition organized by a disabled resident, the Flagler Beach City Commission Thursday said it was interested in exploring easier and clearer disabled access to the beach.
Making Vaccines More Accessible
All in all, 30 million Americans want to get vaccinated but so far have been unable. They gave several reasons: some don’t have transportation to a vaccination site, others have work or family obligations, and some face disabilities, language barriers, or other difficulties.
Half of Flagler County’s Population Is Vaccinated, But Only 31% Are Younger Than 65
If the 15,000 or so people who are younger than 15 are excluded, the proportion with vaccines in those between 15 and 65 rises to 38 percent in Flagler–still less than half the proportion considered in the range of herd or community immunity.
Covid-19: Risk after Vaccination, Masks, and CDC Missteps
Many are concerned about starting “normal activities” after vaccination, the possibility of breakthrough infections, and the recent CDC guidance that fully vaccinated persons can go “maskless” in most situations. Here are answers to anxious questions from the Infectious Pharmacist.
Flagler Vaccination Sites for May 22 through May 29
The Flagler County Health Department (DOH-Flagler) has modified its COVID-19 vaccination sites for the next week.
Projecting 750 High-Wage Jobs, Council Approves 4-Story Hospital and Medical Building on Palm Coast Parkway
Wally de Aquino, the hospital’s chief operating officer, said he’s projecting an initial 400 to 450 jobs at the hospital initially, and up to 700 to 750 jobs when the medical office building is completed. The 100-bed, 155,000-square-foot, four-story AdventHealth hospital will go up on 11 acres along Palm Coast Parkway.
Texas Governor Signs Into Law One of Nation’s Strictest Abortion Measures, Effecting Ban as Early as 6 Weeks Into a Pregnancy
The signing of the bill opens a new frontier in the battle over abortion restrictions as first-of-its-kind legal provisions intended to make the law harder to challenge are poised to be tested in the courts.
School Board Wades Into Selling Belle Terre Swim Club, Or Closing It to All But District Students
The Flagler County School Board is considering selling the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club it’s owned since 1997, or closing its membership-driven club functions and restricting its use to students, whose high school teams depend on its 25-yard pool.
At County Memorial for Lives Lost to Covid, a Solidarity of Grief Near and Far, and Thankfulness for Essential Workers
Eulogies personal and universal were among seven invocations that seven clergy members delivered in the county’s–or any local government’s–first memorial devoted to the losses of the 15-month-long covid-19 pandemic this afternoon in front of the Government Services Building in Bunnell.
Whispering Meadows Ranch’s Fate Hangs on a County Commission Vote Monday After 14 Years of Serene Service
On Monday, the Flagler County Commission will decide whether to allow Whispering Meadows Ranch to continue operating as it has for nearly 14 years, as an equine therapy retreat for disabled children and veterans, or whether it will be shut down. But none of the commissioners have visited the ranch. Here’s a profile of Whispering Meadows.
You May Get Rid of Masks and Social Distancing If You’re Fully Vaccinated, CDC Says in Landmark Shift
Americans fully vaccinated against Covid-19 do not need to wear a mask in most situations, indoors and outdoors, federal health officials said in an updated set of recommendations Thursday that marks a major turning point in the pandemic.
Countering Disinformation, AdventHealth Physicians Say Covid Vaccine ‘Highly’ Recommended for Children 12 and Up
As the Flagler Health Department prepares to order a batch of Pfizer vaccines, now that it’s been approved for children as young as 12, AdventHealth physicians today spoke of the importance of vaccinating children and the rarely spoken-of and unnerving complications from covid complications in infected children.
Flagler County Hosts Candlelight Vigil in Remembrance of 111 Residents Lost to Covid-19
Flagler County is hosting a candlelight vigil at 4 p.m. Monday (May 17) to remember those residents who lost their lives to Covid-19. The ceremony will take place in front of the Government Services. It is the first such commemoration by a local government in Flagler.
‘Precipitous’ Drop Down to Just 129 Vaccinations a Day in Flagler Raises Concerns About Hesitancy and Immunity
Average daily covid vaccinations have fallen from 480 in late February to 413 in the first two weeks of April to just 129 a day for the past two weeks from all locations, public or private, in Flagler County, while the proportion of the population that’s had at least one shot is at 46 percent, well short of herd immunity.
Can Schools Require Covid Vaccines for Students Now that Pfizer’s Shot Is Authorized for Kids 12 and Up?
No state yet requires students to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, but how states manage other vaccines and exemptions, and how the rules can change during outbreaks, can help us think about how a Covid-19 vaccine requirement might work.
A Federal Appeals Court Will Decide if Trans Students Can Continue to Play School Sports
Last August, a federal court found that those supporting an Idaho ban on trans student athletes had no evidence to support their claims. With more than 30 states, including Florida, passing laws banning trans girls from sports, court battles to counter the trend are only beginning.
DeSantis Touts ‘Rights and Liberties’ in Ditching Covid Restrictions; Health Experts Say That’s Dangerous
For doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, and many Florida residents at large, DeSantis’s elimination of covid restrictions across the state as of July 1 is scary or reckless. The pandemic is not over, and health experts continue to advocate for maintaining safety measures to prevent further outbreaks.
You May Qualify for a Monthly $50 Broadband Discount Through New Program Launching Wednesday
Temporary help of up to $50 a month is available to cover some of the costs of broadband for qualifying low-income households through the Federal Communications Commission Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.
Siding With Landlords, Federal Judge Tosses Out CDC’s Eviction Moratorium
The CDC halted evictions at the height of the pandemic, saying that putting people out of their homes when state and local authorities had issued stay-at-home orders to stop the spread of covid-19 would be a public health hazard. But the court said a nationwide eviction moratorium was not under the health agency’s purview.
Chief Justice Lifts Some Courthouse Restrictions, But Masking and Physical Distancing Remain
Members of the public will be able to enter and move through courthouses across the state, including the Flagler County courthouse, while in-person court proceedings will continue to have mask requirements and social distancing.
Anti-Transgender Bills Are Latest Version of Conservatives’ Longtime Strategy to Rally Their Base
Mischaracterizing LGBTQ-supportive policies as harmful to young people are a staple strategy conservatives use to galvanize their base. A record number of anti-transgender policy reforms were introduced this year in state legislatures across the country.
Flagler Schools Will Keep Mask Rules In Effect, Making them Voluntary in Summer
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order overriding local county and city masking regulations doesn’t apply to school districts. The Flagler district announced making rules will stay in effect for the next four weeks, becoming voluntary with summer session and the next school year.
Flagler Government Lifts Masking Rules But Flagler Beach Commissioner Warns Mullins: ‘Don’t Tell Us What To Do’
Flagler Beach Commissioner Jane Mealy twice told county commissioners this morning, specifying Joe Mullins, “don’t tell us what to do,” reasserting why the city is not holding July 4 festivities even as a county commissioner has been harping on it to reverse course.
CVS and Walgreens Have Wasted More Vaccine Doses Than Most States Combined
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 182,874 wasted doses as of late March, three months into the country’s effort to vaccinate the masses against the coronavirus. Of those, CVS was responsible for nearly half, and Walgreens for 21%, or nearly 128,500 wasted shots combined.
What We Can Learn From Canada’s Clarity on Pot
The inherent contradictions of American cannabis laws is undermining consumers and businesses unfairly and at times absurdly. Federal law must change, as it has fallen behind states’ efforts on marijuana in several ways.
George Floyd-Inspired Bill Requiring Use-of-Force Training for Police, Termed a ‘Good Start,’ Clears Legislature
The measure seeks to address aspects of policing that came under scrutiny after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin nearly a year ago. Chauvin, who was captured on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck, was found guilty by a jury last week of murdering Floyd.
Measure Banning Transgender Girls From High School and College Teams Heads for DeSantis Signature
Under the measure on its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis, female students’ eligibility for sports teams would be based on their “biological sex” on birth certificates issued “at or near the time of the student’s birth.”
QAnon Hasn’t Gone Away: It’s Alive and Swarming In Local Republican Politics Across the Country
Perhaps the greatest success of the conspiracy is its ability to create a shared alternate reality, a reality that can dismiss everything from a decisive election to a deadly pandemic. The QAnon universe lives on – now largely through involvement in local, not national, Republican politics.
Volusia Schools and AdventHealth Partner to Screen Student Athletes for Cardiac Health
Student-athletes from Volusia County Schools will for the first time be offered free electrocardiogram (ECG) screenings in addition to the annual state-required sports physical for middle and high schoolers, through a partnership with AdventHealth.
Bill Clears Way for Guns on School Campuses Co-Located With Churches and Other Religious Institutions
Schools co-located with churches, synagogues and other religious institutions may soon see firearms on school campuses – despite the gun-free school laws Florida created in 2018.
Contrary to Commissioner’s Claim, Flagler County Is Not at Herd Immunity, Health Officials Warn, Only Nearing It
Local health officials cautioned against ending covid-19 precautionary restrictions in response to a false claim by Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins that herd immunity has been reached, and that he would call for an end to restrictions at the next county commission meeting. Mullins often writes or speaks falsehoods or makes misleading statements about covid-19 and numerous other matters.
Vaccines Now Exceeding Demand, Health Department’s ‘Ground Game’ Targets New Veins in Flagler Beach
As vaccine supply edges past demand and the rate of those getting vaccinated is slowing, the Flagler County Health Department is shifting strategies and making walk-in vaccines available at four Flagler Beach restaurants and later, on Sundays, at the Flagler Beach branch of the tax collector’s office.
Trump-Republican Men Lead in Vaccine Refusal, Putting Goal of Herd Immunity at Risk
About 13 percent of American adults don’t want a covid-19 vaccine, but nearly 30 percent of Republicans don’t. The counties that are most vaccine-hesitant are rural, more likely to support Trump and have lower income levels and college graduation rates.
Florida Supreme Court Rejects Recreational Pot Amendment from 2022 Ballot
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at allowing people to use recreational marijuana, saying it would be misleading to voters because it’s still illegal under federal law.
Flagler Health+ Makes Pfizer Vaccine Available to All Over the Age of 16 on April 23
Flagler Health+ (formerly Flagler Hospital) is bringing the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccination to Flagler County for a one-time opportunity for anyone at least 16 years old to be vaccinated on April 23. Appointments are required, as is a return visit for a second dose on May 14.
Flagler Health Department and Grace Community Pharmacy Team Up in More Personal-Level Vaccine Push
In its push to personalize the vaccination experience and scale what reluctance there may be among residents to be inoculated, the Flagler Health Department in March launched a partnership with Grace Community Pharmacy (and has since added One Pharmacy), part of the department’s attempt to get Flagler ranked first in the rate of vaccinations.
School Board’s Latest Fray Over LGBTQ ‘Hysteria’ Is Tense But Civil as Law Has the Last Word, Not Parents
Flagler school district officials explained that a student’s privacy–and sexual identity–may override a parent’s right to know about it as transgender matters again divided an audience of 70 and the school board in impassioned but mostly courteous debates at a meeting Tuesday afternoon.
There Are No Transgender “Issues” in Flagler Schools. A Small, Noisy Group Is Fabricating an Issue Anyway.
There are no transgender bathroom issues in Flagler schools, no issues with transgender athletes, no issues with a student of one birth sex supposedly using their transgender status to leer at students of the other. But to hear it from some, it’s a crisis warranting a reversal of policies and procedures. The School Board hears a presentation on the current state of the law and procedures Tuesday. A crowd is expected.
Tiny Number of People Will Be Hospitalized Despite Being Vaccinated. We Have to Learn Why.
Experts say we should investigate “breakthrough infections” to look out for variants and understand who’s vulnerable. In many cases, that’s not happening. Crucial pieces of the puzzle are being tossed in the trash.
School Districts and Families Are Divided: Should Masks Still Be in Place in the Upcoming Academic Year?
With an uncertain outlook of COVID-19 and political connotations surrounding masks, classrooms could become a checkerboard, with some students wearing masks but others showing their faces.