Friends and family are mourning D’Anthony Dorsey, a 24-year-old marine biology teacher who was infected with COVID-19 and spent three weeks on a ventilator before dying Tuesday night, WFLA reports. “He was a good player for us but just, a better human. Just a solid kid,” said Bill Castle, who coached Dorsey when he was […]
Tag: coronavirus
Posted inNews Roundup
Read It in the Morning Paper: COVID Deaths, School Testing
COVID DEATHS: New data from the CDC shows that Polk County experienced 96 COVID-19 deaths in the week ending Sept. 14. In all, 1,941 people have died from COVID in Polk, according to a compilation from USF epidemiologist Jason Salemi. | LINKS: CDC county data | Salemi’s dashboard SCHOOL TESTING: Polk School Board members and […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Mandatory Overtime for Firefighters at Private Events Will End
Lakeland firefighters will no longer be required to work overtime at Detroit Tigers/Lakeland Flying Tigers games and Lakes Church events, the city and firefighters union agreed in settling a union grievance. Union leader Shannon Turbeville also claimed that the city isn’t paid enough to cover its costs for private events, The Ledger reported; the city’s […]
Posted inHealth
New COVID Cases in Polk Decline for a Second Week
A downturn in new COVID-19 cases in Polk County continued for a second straight week as the Florida Department of Health reported 4,787 new infections here. That’s 1,387 fewer new cases than were reported last week, the largest one-week drop to date. Still, the past week’s total was the sixth highest since the coronavirus crisis […]
Posted inHealth
County Commissioners Will Revise Their Letter on COVID Treatments
Polk County commissioners today decided to reword their letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis about alternative COVID-19 treatments such as ivermectin after getting feedback on the issue in a public meeting today, The Ledger reports. The head of Polk’s health department urged commissioners not to send the letter, saying, “I think you’re sending a message to […]
Posted inHealth
Does Hospital’s Dip in COVID Patients Portend a Peak or a Plateau?
The staff at Lakeland Regional Health is anxiously waiting to see if the past week’s retreat from record high numbers of COVID-19 patients signals a peak in the current surge or just a momentary blip, a hospital vice president told city commissioners this morning.
Posted inEducation, Health
Dashboard: More Than 11,000 Polk Students Have Quarantined Over 2 Weeks
Polk County Public Schools’ new COVID-19 dashboard shows that 11,163 students and 323 staff have had to quarantine during the last two weeks. Quarantined students without access to digital devices and wifi are having difficulty keeping up with classwork, the head of the teachers’ union tells News Channel 8. | View the dashboard
Posted inHealth, News Roundup
Read It in the Morning Paper: COVID Treatments, Judge’s Memorial
REGENERON: Lakeland Regional Health has ramped up the number of monoclonal antibody treatments it can provide. LRH follows the FDA guideline of reserving the treatment for people who have tested positive for COVID-19; the state of Florida’s Regeneron site at Lakes Church also accepts individuals who have been in close contact with a confirmed case. […]
Posted inHealth
Weekly COVID Report Shows Signs of a Possible Peak in Polk
This week’s COVID-19 update from the Florida Department of Health yields hope that the toll of the delta variant may have peaked in Polk County and Florida. During the last week, 6,174 new infections were reported in Polk, a solid drop from last week’s record 7,510 new cases. The testing positivity rate continued its slide […]
Posted inNews Roundup
Read It in the Morning Paper
COVID AT SCHOOLS: Polk County Public Schools’ new COVID dashboard, unveiled Thursday, shows infections were reported in 792 students and 115 staff from Monday through Wednesday this week. Students quarantined during that period numbered 4,321. | View the dashboard MERCHANTS WALK shopping center is getting two new stores in the space vacated by Stein Mart: […]
