Community Coronavirus News Sarasota

Vaccines to protect against COVID-19 have been developed with unprecedented speed and technical skill, but also amid a culture of mistrust and conflicting information. Jacob Wentz provides an overview on how these vaccines work and why they were approved for use so quickly.

Governor Ron DeSantis welcomed the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to Tampa General Hospital Monday morning. In Florida, frontline healthcare workers and residents at long-term care facilities are first in line to receive immunizations. Here is a critical update on vaccines in Florida.

The Sarasota City Commission has unanimously decided to part ways with longtime City Manager Tom Barwin and replace him with Deputy City Manager Marlon Brown. Jacob Wentz reports on the timeline of this decision and Barwin’s contributions to Sarasota.

As COVID-19 cases surge across the country, there is growing evidence that smokers and e-cigarette users are at greater risk because these behaviors harm the lungs. Jacob Wentz reports on the risks associated with smoking during the pandemic and action some leading health groups are calling for.

On Friday, in his weekly emergency order relating to the pandemic, Sarasota City Manager Tom Barwin called to reinstate a water shutoff moratorium. That means that the city will not shut off water utilities for those who are late on their payments for utility bills.

The moratorium will be in effect through January 15, 2021, going beyond the moratorium the city typically instates during the holidays.

Yesterday, Dec. 1, was World AIDS Day, an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic and mourning those who have died of the disease. This year’s World AIDS Day was unlike others, as we find ourselves in a second pandemic: COVID-19

The ways in which COVID-19 has affected the AIDS community became a key topic discussed by health officials in educational panels yesterday. One of the key takeaways was that COVID-19 has brought to light the health disparities and social inequities that have also played important roles in the spread of HIV.

Dr. Jonathan Mermon, the Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS speaks about those issues.

While recent news of effective COVID-19 vaccines is promising, hospitalization and case numbers are expected to worsen before any vaccine can turn the tide.

What’s more, as we head into winter, public health experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci are concerned about a severe flu season, which could result in what some are calling a “twindemic” -- the interaction of influenza and the novel coronavirus.

But what might that look like? Dr. Manuel Gordillo, the medical director of Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control unit, explained that there are a couple of ways that this year’s flu season could play out.

Amendment 3 sought to open Florida’s closed primaries, allowing all voters to vote in state and legislative races regardless of party affiliation. Proponents say that the open primary forces candidates to appeal to a broader constituency. Under the proposed “top-two” open primary system, the two candidates who get the most votes in each primary would then advance to the general election, even if they’re from the same party.

The amendment ended up failing, only garnering 57% of votes in support. For amendments to pass in Florida, they need to reach a 60% majority.

I caught up with Tallahassee attorney Glenn Burhans Jr., who is the chairman of All Voters Vote to see what challenges the amendment faced this election cycle.

Jacob Wentz reports on a recent Biden campaign rally and the importance of youth voting in Florida, with input from Senator Amy Klobuchar.

After sending students home midway through the previous Spring semester, when coronavirus intensified across the state, Florida universities were tasked with thinking through how they would offer students safe learning environments.

Now, colleges around the state are midway through a semester like no other.

This week, I caught up with representatives from New College of Florida, Ringling College of Art and Design, and the University of South Florida, Sarasota Manatee campus to see how each institution responded to the pandemic, and how they’re currently doing.