Florida’s omicron winter has hit nursing homes hard, with the number of weekly infections reported among residents and staff reaching record highs in mid-January.

But despite reporting more cases for a single week in mid-January than at any other point in the pandemic, Florida nursing homes are not seeing a corresponding spike in deaths — the cumulative effect, experts say, of protections from vaccines and prior illness with COVID-19, hard-won experience with infection control, and new therapies that reduce the severity of disease.

“The fact that there were not more deaths is probably due to vaccination and the fact that many people had it before, and the nursing homes knowing what to do, having procedures they didn’t have when this started concerning PPE (personal protective equipment) and who to isolate and when and how,” said Lindsay Peterson, a researcher with the University of South Florida’s School of Aging Studies.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2022/02/09/omicron-causes-record-infections-in-florida-nursing-homes/

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo on Tuesday declined to disclose whether he has received a coronavirus vaccine during a contentious confirmation hearing where Democrats pressed the state's top doctor to promote the shots.

Ladapo, appointed in September by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, has attracted national scrutiny over his close alignment with the governor in opposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other health policies embraced by the federal government.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Florida-s-top-doctor-refuses-to-say-if-he-s-16843246.php

A statewide tornado drill will be taking place Wednesday morning as part of Florida’s Severe Weather Awareness Week.

Hurricane season is still a few months away, but this time of the year is statistically more prevalent with intense storms and threats of tornadoes. As a result, the state will begin a tornado drill at 10 a.m. EST with a warning message broadcast on the NOAA’s Alert Radio, according to a press release by Florida Disaster.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/weather/os-ne-statewide-torndado-drill-wednesday-florida-20220209-wtirkaxaend23fhw7nka73ikcy-story.html