More vaccination appointments open in Central Florida as state reports 1,817 new COVID-19 cases

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida is reporting just over 1,800 new cases of COVID-19 Monday.

That’s the lowest number of new cases reported since Sept. 27, 2020, when the state saw 808 positives.

However, the state is reporting that those 1,800 positives come from the results of fewer than 29,000 tests, which means the positivity rate is only slightly lower than what was reported previously: 6.32% Sunday versus 6.41% on Saturday.

This comes as Orange County’s vaccine appointment portal reopened Monday morning.

“Thousands of appointments will be available to anyone who is 65 years or older and who is a Florida resident,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said during a news conference last week.

Officials urge residents trying to secure an appointment to create an account now before the portal reopens so they’re ready to book their appointment when the time comes.

Residents can pre-register at OCFL.net/vaccines where they can also sign up for email updates to learn more about vaccine distribution. Here is the direct link to register.

On Wednesday, a federally-backed vaccine site is set to open at Valencia College in Orlando.

Two mobile units will operate in conjunction with the federal vaccination site. Each unit will be deployed into a community where the need for shots is high and administer 500 doses per day in addition to the 2,000 shots that will be given daily at Valencia.

Demings said the satellite units will be at the Engelwood Neighborhood Center on La Costa Drive from March 3 to March 6 then from March 7 to March 10 they’ll be at Kelly Park in Apopka.

While the site at Valencia will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, Demings said the mobile sites will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and accept walk ups.

Any Florida resident 65 and older who’s interested in visiting one of the federal sites can pre-register now at vaccine.fl.gov or by calling 833-959-0222.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: US approves third COVID-19 vaccine as Florida reports 5,000 new cases]

Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on March 1.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 1,817 new cases on Monday, bringing the state’s overall total to 1,910,921 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020.

Deaths

Florida reported 150 new virus-related deaths Monday, raising the death toll to 31,556. This number includes the 557 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Monday afternoon, there were currently 3,686 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since March 2020, 79,426 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 82 new patients who have been recently hospitalized due to the virus, according to the health department’s daily report released on Monday.

Positivity rate

The percent of positive results was 6.32% Sunday. Health officials say the rate should remain between 5% and 10% to prove a community has a hold of the virus and is curbing infections.

Vaccinations

The Florida Department of Health began releasing a daily report in December on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

As of Monday afternoon, 3,034,636 people have received at least the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine. The FDOH also reports that 1,691,213 people have received their second shot.

See COVID-19 data for the Central Florida region below:

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