Florida reports 2,448 new COVID-19 cases as testing ends at Orange County Convention Center

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orange County Convention Center, which has served as both a testing and vaccination site, wraps up testing Sunday as the site prepares to close completely next weekend.

The site is closing Saturday, May 22, to prepare for returning conventions and shows to move back in. Second doses will continue to be administered through next weekend.

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“Over 400,000 tests have been administered at the site. They have done a commendable job,” said Mike Jachles, spokesman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “It really served a great intent and now with other places offering testing and with the vaccines, it was just the right moment to transition.”

Officials announced last month that when the site closes, there will be two smaller sites each capable of administering about 2,000 shots per day in two different locations in the county.

As more people get vaccinated, more are looking toward normalcy with the latest news regarding updated mask guidance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased mask guidelines to allow fully vaccinated people to stop wearing masks outdoors and in most indoor settings.

“We have all longed for this moment — when we can get back to some sense of normalcy,” Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said a White House briefing.

Walensky defended the decision Sunday morning for fully vaccinated people, stressing that increasing political pressure had nothing to do with the abrupt shift in guidelines, according to the Associated Press.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Florida sees 3,288 new COVID-19 cases as many revise mask policies following CDC update]

Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on May 16.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 2,448 new cases on Sunday, bringing the state’s overall total to 2,292,004 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020.

Deaths

Florida reported 22 new virus-related deaths Sunday, bringing the death toll to 36,798. This number included the 723 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Sunday afternoon, there were currently 2,410 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since March 2020, 93,110 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 54 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 4.36% Saturday out of 56,148 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 7,554,815 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, 9,577,875 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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