As FEMA-backed sites resume Johnson & Johnson vaccine use, Florida reports 4,716 new COVID-19 cases

ORLANDO, Fla. – After the U.S. lifted its pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the Florida Division of Emergency Management announced federally supported vaccination sites would resume the use of J&J vaccines starting Sunday morning.

The FDEM said these sites will offer up to 3,000 doses of the single-shot vaccine, but a new consent form will be required in order to administer it. The FEMA-backed vaccination site at the Valencia College west campus was among the other federally supported sites to offer J&J vaccines again.

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Shortly after the pause in J&J vaccine use was recommended, the FEMA site went back to offering first doses of the Pfizer vaccine and continued offering the second dose.

U.S. health officials ultimately decided the benefits of the J&J vaccine outweigh the risks following an 11-day pause on its use. The government uncovered 15 vaccine recipients who developed a highly unusual kind of blood clot out of nearly 8 million people given the J&J shot, according to the Associated Press. All were women, most under age 50. Three died, and seven remain hospitalized.

Osceola County leaders are preparing to meet this week to discuss whether or not it will move forward using the J&J vaccine. Seminole County leaders said the J&J vaccine would be used again for homebound vaccinations, as long as the individual consents to that vaccine.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Florida sees 7,341 new COVID-19 cases as US lifts pause on J&J vaccine use]

Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on April 25.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 4,716 new cases on Sunday, bringing the state’s overall total to 2,208,584 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020.

Deaths

Florida reported 37 new virus-related deaths Sunday, bringing the death toll to 35,534. This number includes the 686 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Sunday afternoon, there were currently 2,455 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since last March, 89,457 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 77 new patients who have been recently hospitalized due to the virus, according to the health department’s daily report released on Sunday.

Positivity rate

The percent of positive results was 6.85% Saturday out of 68,891 tests. The numbers reported daily by the state reflect test results from the day prior. 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 2020 on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

FDOH reports 5,758,162 people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. These individuals either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or completed a two-shot series.

As of Sunday, 8,512,825 people have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Below is the Central Florida region breakdown of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations for Sunday.

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