COVID 19 testing

While Gov. Ron DeSantis said he plans to prioritize elderly and at-risk residents when it comes to COVID-19 tests, his administration acknowledged this week that nearly a million other at-home test kits have expired.

By mid-morning, the city was asking people to come prepared to stand for extended periods of time outdoors. They recommended people consider bringing water, a folding chair, and a family member to accompany them.

The current surge is being driven by the spreading of the highly contagious omicron variant.

The state did not update on Tuesday how many tests came in Monday, nor what the percent positivity rate of new cases was.

The positivity rate for those testing positive for the first time came in at 6.25% on the most tests returned in a day since March 2.

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%.

Halfway through the spring semester, questions such as "Why are students cleared for campus before receiving their COVID-19 test results?" remain largely unanswered.

Since Tuesday's report, 13,871 people tested positive for the coronavirus — the most cases reported in a single day since July 16. But the positivity rate fell to 8.72% because of a large number of tests.

Passengers flying to and from Tampa International Airport will be able to get coronavirus tests before their flights. The airport is offering the service in partnership with BayCare.

The U.S. reported more than 55,000 infections Friday, pushing the total number of cases to more than 7 million. Some two dozen states saw new cases continue to rise this past week.

Total cases have been climbing slowly statewide since Monday. Many greater Tampa Bay area schools re-opened the last week of August.

Group homes and other facilities that care for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities will be required to start testing staff members…