Tampa Bay considered 'high risk' area as COVID-19 cases continue to spike
Data from the CDC shows more than half of Florida residents are in communities with "high risk" levels of COVID-19. It's the 10th consecutive week infections have gone up.
Three local counties see high levels of COVID-19 spread, experts say
Parts of the Tampa Bay area are now showing high levels of COVID-19 spread, a leading expert at USF Health said Tuesday.
Court rules against Florida businesses on COVID-19 insurance coverage
A federal appeals court Thursday rejected arguments by Florida restaurants and a furniture retailer that insurance policies should have covered losses stemming from shutdowns early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Florida marks another weekly increase in COVID cases
COVID-19 cases have been slowly on the rise in Florida, but doctors say this latest increase differs from other variants.
Tampa International Airport lifts mask mandate after TSA removes rule
After a federal judge in Tampa struck down the federal mask mandate, Tampa International Airport will no longer require masks and face coverings.
'A game changer': UF researchers help develop 30-second COVID test
A team of University of Florida researchers said a new device can give COVID-19 test results in 30 seconds. The process is like a glucose test, you put a sensor strip in your mouth, and then the device tests the saliva.
St. Patrick's celebrations return to Tampa as doctors monitor omicron subvariant in Europe
With vaccines readily available and COVID-19 cases on the decline, St. Patrick’s Day looks very different from two years ago.
Hillsborough County ends state of emergency, closing COVID-19 test and vaccine site
Hillsborough County is ending the local state of emergency for the pandemic, which has been in effect for the past two years. The order, which was first issued March 12, 2020, will expire on Thursday.
‘Enjoy every day’: Floridians adjust to new normal 2 years after COVID-19 pandemic began
Friday marked two years since the World Health Organization first declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and things are now mostly returning to a sense of normal as final barriers lift.
‘We’re helping them get their lives back’: AdventHealth Tampa helps COVID-19 long-haulers find relief
A program specializing in long-haul COVID-19 has helped a Carrollwood woman treat symptoms she developed months after recovering from the virus.
Florida contradicts CDC, says COVID-19 vaccine 'risks...may outweigh benefits' for some kids
The Florida Department of Health says some children may not benefit from COVID-19 vaccines, contradicting guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Florida Department of Health says healthy children should not get COVID vaccine, opposing CDC recommendation
The Florida Department of Health will be the first state to officially recommend that healthy children should not get the COVID-19 vaccine, state Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced this morning during a roundtable discussion with Gov. Ron DeSantis. The move directly contradicts the CDC's guidelines.
Florida superintendent who defied DeSantis by pushing masks in schools gets ousted
A Florida school superintendent who defied Gov. Ron DeSantis on pandemic masks for students has been fired by the local school board.
Gov. DeSantis tells masked students at Tampa press conference, ‘Please take those off’
As the Florida governor approached the lectern for a press conference in Tampa, there were a few students waiting while wearing masks, but before he spoke he told them, 'Please take those off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything.'
‘People want to live freely in Florida’: DeSantis makes significant changes to state’s COVID-19 guidelines
Governor Ron DeSantis and State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced changes to Florida’s COVID-19 guidance in a video titled "Buck the CDC" on Thursday afternoon.
Florida lawmakers seen to strip $561 million from hospital, health care system budgets
Lawmakers in Florida's House say hospitals have already received about $3 billion in federal funding during the pandemic and will get billions more this year, so they want to cut $561 million from state funding and spend it elsewhere.
Florida Senate confirms Dr. Joseph Ladapo as state surgeon general, despite objections from Democrats
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointment of Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo was confirmed Wednesday by the Senate, despite objections from Democrats who criticized his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many hospitals' COVID policies still restrict visitors under 18, leaving kids unable to visit parents
A single mother who was hurt in a motorcycle crash says she is desperate to see her kids, but because of their age, COVID-19 restrictions at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa prevent them from being at her bedside.
How long does omicron immunity last?
With cases of omicron in Florida dropping like a stone, the question now becomes- will they ever bounce back?
Florida couple quarantined on cruise at start of COVID-19 pandemic shares story in new documentary
The cruise liner Diamond Princess became a prison for Gay and Phil Courter of Crystal River after they became quarantined in Japan at the start of the pandemic.