Florida vaccines, COVID-19 cases, deaths: What you need to know for Thursday, June 3 – The Florida Times-Union

The coronavirus pandemic in Florida is an evolving news story so some information in this article could be out of date. To stay connected wiAlerts th our comprehensive coverage of COVID-19 in Florida,sign up for our Coronavirus Watch newsletter.

The Florida Department of Health reported 1,234 new COVID-19 cases and 55newly verified deaths Wednesday.

As of Wednesday, 8,352,245 Florida residents have been fully vaccinated with the coronavirus vaccine.

What's the difference, anyway?: Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson

Bob Nevens hoped to retire at Houston Methodist, where the 47-year-old had served for a decade as director of corporate risk. Instead,Nevens was fired on April 29 after he refused to have a COVID-19 vaccine injected into his arm.

Nevenshospital in the Houston area was among the first in the nation to require the vaccine and remains one of a handful doing so. Houston Methodist set an early deadline for its 1,255 executives and managers and Nevens was one of only two managers who failed to step up. Other workers have until June 7 to comply.

Nevens has a list of concerns: the vaccines were made quickly, the FDA authorized them for emergency use, and the long-term side effects may not be known. | Read more

Vaccination dataprovided by Johns Hopkins University and state health departments. Click on the map below for county-by-county details.

(Mobile and app users:Click here for an optimal user experience)

Here's a breakdown of the latest numbers in Florida according to an automated graphic that uses data provided byJohns Hopkins University.

Want more COVID-19 news? If you're already a subscriber, thank you! If not,please subscribe.

Florida reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 10,483 new cases. That's down 42.8% from the previous week's tally of 18,331 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Florida ranked 16th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 20.4% from the week before, with 140,886 cases reported. | Read more

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit said Tuesday that he hasn't been able to taste or smell since he tested positive for COVID-19 back in late December.

Herbstreittweeted on Tuesday: "Been 5 months since I tested positive for Covid. Still cant taste or smell. Anyone else experience this?? Did it ever come back?? Havent tasted a meal since late December. After 5 months...is this my new normal or will taste and smell come back???" | Read more

The World Health Organization has created a new system to name COVID-19 variants, getting away from place-based names that can be hard to pronounce, difficult to rememberandstigmatizing to a country.

The new system,which was announcedMonday,is based on the letters of the Greek alphabet.The United Kingdom variant, called by scientists B.1.1.7, will now be Alpha. B.1.351, the South Africa variant will be Beta, and the B.1.617.2 variant discovered in India will now be known as Delta. | Read more

Here is the original post:

Florida vaccines, COVID-19 cases, deaths: What you need to know for Thursday, June 3 - The Florida Times-Union