Eighty-five people lost their lives to COVID-19 Wednesday, including 25 people in the greater Tampa Bay area.

The COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise last year, shutting down major colleges and universities around the country. Two USF students experienced their freshman year during the pandemic.

The state reported fewer than 6,000 new cases of coronavirus for the first time in a week, while the 33 deaths are the lowest total since April 11.

As more people return to air travel, several airports are offering yoga, stretching and meditation areas. Live music and therapy pet programs are also intended to calm stressed-out travelers.

A Tampa physician was among the rare but growing number of people dealing with the disturbing experience of getting the disease despite having had one shot, or even two.

DeSantis said his goal is to get people back to work rather than increase the benefits.

Adolescents have faced long-term social isolation in response to the pandemic and many parents say their kids are struggling with anxiety and depression.

The rate of cases testing positive for the first time was 8.68% on Sunday. It was the third time in a week the percentage of positive cases surpassed 8 percent.

Congress has told the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer COVID-19 vaccines to some 24 million people who don't usually get their health care through the VA.

The newest daily report is based on nearly 112,000 coronavirus tests. The rate of cases testing positive for the first time was 6.88%.

The largest number of deaths have come in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, India and the United Kingdom. The pandemic death toll reached 1 million in September 2020 and 2 million in January.

COVID-related transplants are surging as hospitals grapple with a growing subset of patients whose organs are “basically destroyed by the virus,” said Dr. Jonathan Orens at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.