The coronavirus pandemic took its deadliest turn in Florida in the last week as the state death toll rose from 221 to 499 in just over seven days.

Cases rose to 21,019 as of Monday evening, up from 12,350 on April 5, an increase of more than 8,000. Just two weeks back, Florida was sitting on 4,950 cases with 60 deaths, meaning the state has seen more than 400 deaths in a 14-day span.


Weekend numbers, though, were less severe than previous days as reported deaths only rose by 27 on Saturday and 15 on Sunday after two straight days of 48-death increases.

There has been shifting in a positive manner one influential model used by the Trump administration to determine the severity of the pandemic. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation out of the University of Washington has projected decreasing total deaths in both Florida and across the nation as the population continues to improve social distancing with more extreme measures. The latest update to the model does move Florida’s deadliest possible day due to the virus to May 6.


Coronavirus Maps of Florida coronavirus cases by ZIP code and county Search for Florida coronavirus patients by ZIP code using this interactive map. Also see hourly updates on confirmed cases, the number of tests conducted and details of each patient. Data including cases in Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County, Orange County, Collier County, Lee County, Manatee County, Pinellas County, Volusia County, Hillsborough County and others.

Monday saw 38 deaths added to the toll and about 1,100 cases. New deaths in Central Florida released Monday included deaths in Brevard and Polk counties.

Central Florida now has 2,533 total reported cases. Orange County leads the region with 1,034, followed by Osceola’s 333, Polk’s 270, Seminole’s 268, Volusia’s 216, Lake’s 162, Brevard’s 148 and Sumter’s 112. (See details on all Central Florida cases here).

South Florida remains the epicenter of the state’s outbreak with 12,340 cases from Miami-Dade (7,459), Broward (3,177) and Palm Beach (1,704) counties accounting for 58% of Florida’s total.

Central Florida has seen 55 deaths with Orange County logging the most with 13, followed by Sumter and Polk’s 9 each, Volusia’s 7, Brevard’s 6, Osceola’s 5, Lake’s 4 and Seminole’s 2. Miami-Dade has the most in the state with 109, followed by 92 in Palm Beach and 77 in Broward.

Signs of the state shutdown flattening the curve, though, have been showing as more people shelter in place and testing continues to expand.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that he was directing the Florida National Guard to create more “strike teams” to significantly ramp up testing for coronavirus in long term care facilities.

Ten teams of four will be sent to sample “all willing people” in long term care facilities, beginning in South Florida where there have been a number of positive cases in such facilities.

That number has significantly jumped in Florida in the last week to more than 900 cases, and overall nationally at least 2,300 long-term care facilities in 37 states have reported positive cases with more than 3,000 deaths, according to USA Today.

DeSantis has come under fire after his attorney asked a law firm last week to not to file a Miami Herald lawsuit against the state to identify the names of the facilities with positive cases. The firm decided not to file the lawsuit.

Through April 13, the state has rolled out nearly 198,000 tests, up more than 80,000 tests from one week earlier, which is nearly 1 in 100 Floridians. DeSantis announced the drive-through site at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando and other state-run sites across Florida will keep testing people and expand its services to allow anyone with coronavirus symptoms to get tested as well as anyone who may be asymptomatic but had close contact with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said Floridians should continue social distancing measures until there’s a Covid-19 vaccine – which he acknowledged could be a year or more away.

“As long as you have Covid in the environment, and this is a tough virus, we’re going to have to practice these measures so that we’re all protected,” Rivkees said at a Monday press conference in Tallahassee. Asked when there would be a vaccine so that the virus was no longer in the environment, Rivkees said, “Based on what has been reported, probably a year if not longer.”


The institute now projects Florida will see between 1,250 and 13,747 fatalities by June 21, with the median projected deaths at 3,748. That’s higher than last Wednesday’s projection of 4,357, and much lower than the iniial projection of 6,770. The same model’s median projection for U.S. fatalities is 61,545, down from 81,766 for the nation projected last Sunday.

That same model still projects Florida’s daily deaths on an upward track, and the median track for fatalities will hit its peak on May 6 with 128 deaths that day before the curve turns back down.

For the nation, though, the model shows that the U.S. may already be at the top of that curve. The U.S. saw more than 2,000 deaths logged in one day between April 9-10, and daily deaths have come back down since then, although still more than 1,500 on Sunday.

As of Monday afternoon, the U.S. death toll was more than 23,200, having passed Italy for the highest in the world over the weekend. Worldwide, there are more than 1.9 million cases and nearly 119,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center. More than 448,000 people worldwide have recovered from the virus.

You can find a running summary of the latest updates on the coronavirus in the Orlando area and Florida below. Also, sign up for new daily Florida coronavirus update by subscribing to The Health Report newsletter and as-they-happen Breaking News emails at OrlandoSentinel.com/newsletters.

Latest news

Mayor Demings: DeSantis classified WWE ‘essential business’ to allow live shows in Orlando

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said Monday the WWE was deemed an essential business and allowed to stay open after “some conversation” with the governor’s office.

The designation allows WWE to resume live cable-TV broadcasts and wrestling matches three nights a week from its Orlando training facility and Full Sail University.

Florida surgeon general warns social distancing could be needed for a year or more

Florida’s surgeon general warned Monday that social distancing measures put in place to combat the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, might be needed at least until a vaccine is developed, which most experts have said is at least a year away.


“We don’t have a vaccine at the present time, so our mitigation measure is the social distancing,” Scott Rivkees said during a press briefing in the Capitol. “As long as we’re going to have COVID in the environment — and this is a tough virus — we’re going to have to practice these measures so that we are all protected ... based on what has been reported probably a year if not longer is what some individuals have talked about.”


Orange County sees flattening of curve. ‘This is the time for us to really double down,’ mayor says

Orange County is seeing a flattening of the curve in fighting the coronavirus, thanks to residents following the stay-at-home order and practicing social distancing, Mayor Jerry Demings said on Monday.

He encouraged residents to continue following guidelines to slow the spread of the virus.

Orlando Congress members want all TSA agents to wear masks

In the wake of ten TSA agents at Orlando International Airport testing positive for the coronavirus, Central Florida’s three Democratic Congress members are calling to require all agents to wear masks.

In a letter to Transportation Security Administration Administrator David Pekoske, U.S. Reps. Val Demings, D-Orlando, Stephanie Murphy, D-Winter Park, and Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, said that while TSA agents are authorized to wear masks, they are still not required.

Amid coronavirus outbreak at Florida prison, anguished loved ones wait for updates from ailing inmates. ‘A lot of people are going to die’

The day after the Florida Department of Corrections reported the state’s first two prisoner coronavirus cases on April 5 — both at a privately-run facility near Pensacola — Deborrah Ellis’ son wrote to her that he and many others in his dorm were very ill.

“As I write you please know me and my whole dorm is sick!!! I did everything I could do and still caught it,” Ellis’ 48-year-old son, who is serving time in the Blackwater River Correctional Facility, wrote in an April 6 message through JPay, the prison’s email system. “I am so cold one minute and very hot the next.”

Broadcast crews struggling after sports go dark

The new coronavirus has caused a global pandemic that has sickened at least 1.68 million and killed over 101,000 worldwide, halted sports and forced restrictions on the movement of millions of people in an effort to stop the virus from spreading further and overwhelming health care systems.

The rapid postponement or cancellation of most sports meant those who were booked for events through the spring and summer now have an open calendar. Besides audio technicians, those affected include camera operators, stage managers and producers.

Federal stimulus cash begins to arrive in bank accounts across U.S.

Americans are beginning to see the first economic impact payments hit their bank accounts.

The IRS tweeted Saturday that it had begun depositing the funds into taxpayers’ bank accounts and would be working to get them out as fast as possible.

The one-time payments were approved by Congress as part of an emergency relief package intended to combat the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic.

Osceola residents who don’t wear masks won’t face fine or jail

Osceola County walked back the penalties attached to an executive order requiring residents to wear masks or face coverings in public after some county commissioners said they feared the measure was too heavy-handed.

In a new decision announced Monday, hours after enforcement of the order began, the county dropped penalties that could have fine violators up to $500 and up to 60 days in jail.

Coronavirus shutdown forces Carnival to cancel cruises through June 26

Cruises are no longer sailing from U.S. ports because of coronavirus, and when the industry gets up and running again is uncertain, but Carnival Cruise Line has already canceled sailings through June 26. The line which sails out of five Florida ports made the announcement Monday on its website.

The cancellations include all sailings across its 27-ship fleet through June 26, but also all sailings out of San Francisco through 2020, all Carnival Sunrise sailings through Oct. 19, all Carnival Legend sailings through Oct. 30 and all Carnival Radiance sailings through Nov. 1.

Florida food stamp recipients can shop online to avoid coronavirus exposure

Low-income people in the state’s major food-assistance program will be able to make online grocery purchases to help protect them from the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said the U.S. Department of Agriculture had approved the online-purchase plan for Florida’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Americans start to see relief payments; some face a wait

Americans are beginning to see the first economic impact payments hit their bank accounts. The IRS tweeted Saturday that it had begun depositing the funds into taxpayers’ bank accounts and would be working to get them out as fast as possible. The one-time payments were approved by Congress as part of an emergency relief package intended to combat the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic.

The exact timing of when people get their money depends on a few factors, such as income and payment delivery method.

Trump says he’ll decide on easing guidelines, not governors

President Donald Trump asserted Monday that he is the ultimate decision-maker for determining how and when to relax the nation’s social distancing guidelines as he grows anxious to reopen the coronavirus-stricken country as soon as possible.


Governors and local leaders, who have instituted mandatory restrictions that have the force of law, have expressed concern that Trump’s plan to restore normality will cost lives and extend the duration of the outbreak.

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Trump said some are "saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect...it is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons.”

He added, “With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!”

New York coronavirus deaths top 10,000

New York state’s death toll from coronavirus topped 10,000, with hospitals still seeing 2,000 new patients a day, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

The state tallied 671 new deaths on Sunday. It was the first time in a week the daily toll dipped below 700. Still, the governor noted people are still dying at a “horrific level of pain and grief and sorrow.”

Cuomo said almost 2,000 people were newly hospitalized with the virus Sunday, though once discharges and deaths are accounted for, the number of people hospitalized has flattened to just under 19,000.





Florida vacation rental suspension extended

Gov. Ron DeSantis has extended until April 30 an executive order that suspended rentals of vacation properties because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The order required suspension of vacation rentals of homes and condominiums. It does not apply to such lodging establishments as hotels, inns and resorts. It also did not apply to long-term rentals.

DeSantis late Friday issued an extension of a March 27 executive order that was slated to last two weeks.

The original order said “many cases of COVID-19 in Florida have resulted from individuals coming into the state of Florida from international travel and other states, posing great risk to Florida residents” and added that “vacation rentals and third-party platforms advertising vacation rentals in Florida present attractive lodging destinations for individuals coming into Florida.”

Small chloroquine study halted over risk of fatal heart complications

A small study in Brazil was halted early for safety reasons after coronavirus patients taking a higher dose of chloroquine developed irregular heart rates that increased their risk of a potentially fatal heart arrhythmia.

Chloroquine is closely related to the more widely used drug hydroxychloroquine. President Donald Trump has enthusiastically promoted them as a potential treatment for the novel coronavirus despite little evidence that they work, and despite concerns from some of his top health officials. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency approval to allow hospitals to use chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine from the national stockpile if clinical trials were not feasible. Companies that manufacture both drugs are ramping up production.

The Brazilian study involved 81 hospitalized patients in the city of Manaus and was sponsored by the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It was posted on Saturday at medRxiv, an online server for medical articles, before undergoing peer review by other researchers. Because Brazil’s national guidelines recommend the use of chloroquine in coronavirus patients, the researchers said including a placebo in their trial — considered the best way to evaluate a drug — was an “impossibility.”

Central Florida companies shift gears to produce hand sanitizer, PPE

Two months ago, whiskey-maker Jose Luis Aponte was expecting a boom in business for his Black Ox bourbon and other liquors crafted at his Apopka distillery. Then came COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Aponte said he was forced to stop whiskey-making and adopt a strategy undertaken by big-name distillery Tito’s Vodka and brewer Anheuser-Busch, who both joined the global fight against the contagious virus by modifying production lines to crank out hand-sanitizer, a germ-killing gel in short supply but needed everywhere by almost everyone.

Across the globe, the nation and in Central Florida, businesses are re-purposing manufacturing operations to join the fight to quell the virus, which also is blamed for putting more than 16 million Americans out of work in the last three weeks and has led to a record number of unemployment claims, according to statistics kept by the U.S. Labor Department.

Hospitality post-pandemic must go 'beyond clean’ | Commentary

As of result of COVID-19, Central Florida’s hospitality industry is in a tailspin. Hotel occupancy rates are in the single digits, thousands of hospitality employees have been laid off, and visitor inflows have been restricted with more than 80 percent of Americans under stay-at-home orders. Theme parks, hotels and resorts have no choice but to completely shut down and ride out the ongoing crisis.

The immediate (and understandable) focus of hospitality executives during this time is likely cutting expenses and securing sources of cash during their companies’ unexpected closings.

However, these leaders also need to prioritize what has fundamentally changed as a result of COVID-19: consumers’ sense of what is “clean.”

Navy reports first coronavirus death from Roosevelt crew

A member of the crew of the coronavirus-infected USS Theodore Roosevelt warship died Monday of complications related to the disease, the Navy said, adding to setbacks for the sidelined aircraft carrier.

The sailor, whose name and other identifying information were not publicly released pending notification of relatives, had tested positive for coronavirus on March 30 and was taken off the ship and placed in “isolation housing” along with four other sailors at the U.S. Navy base on Guam. On April 9 he was found unresponsive during a medical check and was moved to a local hospital’s intensive care unit.

The Roosevelt has been in a coronavirus crisis that prompted the Navy’s civilian leader, Thomas Modly, to fire the ship’s captain on April 2. Five days later, after flying to the ship and delivering a speech in which he insulted the skipper, Capt. Brett E. Crozier, and criticized the crew for supporting Crozier, Modly resigned.

As of Sunday, 585 members of the Roosevelt crew had tested positive for coronavirus. Nearly 4,000 crew members had been moved ashore.

Apopka police officer tests positive for coronavirus

Another Central Florida law enforcement officer has contracted COVID-19. On Sunday, the Apopka Police Department announced one of its officers contracted the coronavirus, according to an agency press release.


After displaying COVID-19 symptoms, the officer reported it to supervisors and was later sent home. The officer was also given information on how to get tested, and later confirmed they tested positive.

‘GMA’ host George Stephanopoulos tests positive for coronavirus

“Good Morning America” host George Stephanopoulos announced Monday morning on his show that he has tested positive for coronavirus, more than a week after his wife was diagnosed.

Stephanopoulos, 59, said it came as “no surprise” that he got coronavirus after his wife, actress Ali Wentworth, tested positive.

NYC could run out of virus test swabs

New York City is in danger of running out of swabs for COVID-19 tests and is urging medical providers to continue testing only patients who are gravely ill, the city health department said in a memo to health care providers.

The warning came amid repeated pleas from New York City and state officials for the federal government to provide widespread testing in order to move to a containment phase in the coronavirus outbreak.

Through Sunday afternoon, 462,000 people in New York have been tested for the virus, according to state figures. Of those, nearly 189,000 had tested positive.

Fauci comments on U.S. virus response seem to draw Trump’s ire

Social restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus could have saved lives if they’d been started earlier, and when they’re eased new cases are certain to arise, said the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, seeming to draw the ire of President Donald Trump.

Trump, who has been chafing at criticism that he didn’t do enough early on to fight the virus, reposted a tweet that referenced Fauci’s comments and that said “Time to #FireFauci.” Trump again pointed to his decision in late January to restrict travel from China, writing, “Sorry Fake News, it’s all on tape. I banned China long before people spoke up.”

Fauci said Sunday that the economy in parts of the country could have a “rolling reentry” as early as next month, provided health authorities can quickly identify and isolate people who will inevitably be infected. Fauci also said he “can’t guarantee" that it will be safe for Americans to vote in person on Election Day, Nov. 3.

App built in Orlando helps consumers know what’s ‘InStock’ at grocery stores

Two Orlando developers have built an app that could limit shoppers’ potential exposure to coronavirus by telling them what’s on the shelves at nearby grocery stores. The free InStock app is available for iPhone, and the developers say they expect to release it for Android devices soon.

A Disney World musician, soon to be furloughed, still finds a way to share joy during coronavirus

For three decades at Walt Disney World, Carol Stein has entertained tourists, playing Disney melodies for children at the Grand Floridian Resort or drinking songs on her piano at Epcot’s British pub. For the first time, her songs have been silenced at the company’s theme parks. But Stein refuses to stop entertaining.

East Orange PTA moms organize school meal deliveries for needy families

Ruth Osborne, disabled by a brain injury, can’t drive. Her three children usually eat for free at school, and she appreciates that the food is still available now, even with campuses shuttered to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. But Osborne, who lives in Bithlo, can’t get to the nearest site in east Orange County to pick up the packaged meals.

So when she saw on Facebook that several women from a nearby community were offering to deliver the meals to those who couldn’t do pickups on their own, she reached out for their help.

Local chef keeps dinners social, even on lockdown

Chef Bruno Fonseca is running a new experiment. His Foreigner Experience, an intimate, five-course confiance-style dinner series, had just begun to take off when the coronavirus came to town. Chatty, friendly and intimate, they were events where strangers became friends, many of them with Fonseca himself.

Trump tweets about disaster declaration for all 50 states

President Donald Trump announced on social media that all 50 states have been approved for a disaster declaration after Trump accepted Wyoming’s declaration Saturday, according to political news site The Hill.

Trump posted on Twitter Sunday afternoon, tweeting that the United States “are winning, and will win, the war on the Invisible Enemy!”

Based on reports, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands all received major disaster declaration approvals—leaving American Samoa as the only United States territory without a declaration.

Florida sheriff: Man coughs on deputy during arrest, says ‘I hope you catch’ coronavirus

A 46-year-old DeLand man is charged with threatening and assaulting a law enforcement officer after he coughed near a Volusia County deputy arresting him for a domestic violence charge.

Brent Smith is accused of threatening his mother Saturday evening with a butter knife and snatching the phone from her when she tried to call for help, according to the Sheriff’s Office. During his arrest, Smith “coughed, blew and spit at the arresting deputy and promised to bash his head with a hammer,” the agency said in a statement.

Alarming surge in nursing home deaths from coronavirus

More than 2,600 deaths nationwide have been linked to coronavirus outbreaks in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, an alarming rise in just the past two weeks, according to the latest count by The Associated Press.

Because the federal government has not been releasing a count of its own, the AP has kept its own running tally based on media reports and state health departments. The latest count of at least 2,646 deaths is up from about 450 deaths just 10 days ago.

But the true toll among the 1 million mostly frail and elderly people who live in such facilities is likely much higher, experts say, because most state counts don’t include those who died without ever being tested for COVID-19.


Florida police chief placed on leave for derogatory comment about deputy who died of coronavirus

Officers expressing concern about exposure to the new coronavirus that killed a Broward sheriff’s deputy recently were berated and told that the deputy died because he was gay, according to a complaint filed Friday by the state’s Fraternal Order of Police.

Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy Shannon Bennett died of COVID-19 on April 3. He was a school resource officer at an elementary school in Deerfield Beach. Bennett was openly gay and planned to marry his partner later this month. Bennett was 39.

Health officials warn of ‘Wild West’ as unregulated COVID-19 blood tests hit the market

Blood tests for the coronavirus could play a key role in deciding whether millions of Americans can safely return to work and school. But public health officials warn that the current “Wild West” of unregulated tests is creating confusion that could ultimately slow the path to recovery.

More than 70 companies have signed up to sell so-called antibody tests in recent weeks, according to U.S. regulators. Governments around the world hope that the rapid tests, which typically use a finger-prick of blood on a test strip, could soon ease public restrictions by identifying people who have previously had the virus and have developed some immunity to it.

Many governors getting a huge boost amid coronavirus response — but not Gov. DeSantis

State governors across the country have seen their job approval ratings soar amid their handling of the coronavirus outbreak, with one notable exception: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In a list of 15 governors’ most recent approval numbers compiled by the political statistics website FiveThirtyEight, DeSantis was the only one to not see a double-digit improvement on his baseline approval from the end of 2019.

The compilation, gathered from a number of recent in-state polling and comparing it with Morning Consult ratings from the end of last year, uses the April 6 poll from the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida. That poll surveyed via email 3,244 Florida voters from March 31 through April 4.

Pope Francis on Easter calls for solidarity to confront coronavirus

Pope Francis called for solidarity the world over to confront the “epochal challenge” posed by the coronavirus pandemic, as Christians celebrated a solitary Easter Sunday, blending the joyful feast day with sorrow over the toll the virus has already taken.

Normally, St. Peter’s Square would be awash in fresh flowers for Easter, with tulips and orchids decorating the piazza’s promenade in a riot of color to underscore Easter’s message of life and rebirth following Christ’s crucifixion. This year, however, the cobblestoned piazza was bare. Police barricades ringed the square, blocking the tens of thousands who would normally flock to hear the pope’s Mass and noontime “Urbi et Orbi” speech and blessing “to the city and the world.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson out of hospital

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been discharged from a London hospital where he was treated in intensive care for coronavirus. Johnson’s office says he left St. Thomas’ Hospital and will continue his recovery at Chequers, the prime minister’s country house. He will not immediately return to work.

Tip of the day

Cloth face coverings should fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face, be secured with ties or ear loops, include multiple layers of fabric, allow for breathing without restriction and be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape.

Symptoms? Do this

Call your health-care provider if you have cough, fever and shortness of breath — and you’ve been in close contact with someone how has COVID-19 or has recently traveled to one of the following countries, where the virus transmission is widespread: China, Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea.

How to protect yourself

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Stay home when you are sick and avoid contact with persons in poor health.

Don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.

Clean and disinfect touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

Follow these recommendations for using a face mask: The CDC now recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. Follow these guidelines for using a cloth mask.

Questions? Here are numbers to call

The Florida Department of Health has set up a call center to answer questions about coronavirus. There’s a number for Orange County, too.

The Health Report: Florida Coronavirus Newsletter Daily A daily update on the coronavirus crisis in Florida. You are now following this newsletter. See all newsletters.

The Florida Department of Health’s number is 1-866-779-6121 and is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents can also email questions to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.

In Orange County, the number to call is 407-723-5004; it’s available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For mental-health help, here is a list of resources.

For accurate, up-to-date information, visit

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov

The Florida Department of Health: floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19. For questions, call the COVID-19 call center at 866-779-6121 or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov.

A live map of COVID-19 cases around the globe: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

You want to be extra-prepared? Here’s how to stock up before a pandemic: ready.gov/pandemic

For the latest coronavirus updates, visit OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus and follow @orlandosentinel on Twitter.

See complete coverage at OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus.