USA: Florida reports 56,865 new COVID cases, positivity rate continues to soar

After days of record-breaking COVID-19 cases in the Sunshine State, Florida reported 56,865 new cases on Saturday and the positivity rates in South Florida continue to soar.

According to the latest figures released, both Miami-Dade and Broward counties have positivity rates of 30%.

Public health experts don’t consider the virus to be under control in an area unless the positivity rate is under 5%.

Read more at: Florida reports 56,865 new COVID cases, positivity rate continues to soar

USA - Coronavirus- statistics: Florida Won't Release Number of COVID Deaths in Individual Counties Despite Surge in Cases

The exact number of COVID deaths in counties in Florida remains unconfirmed as the state reportedly will not reveal the data as cases surge amid the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Florida releases data related to COVID deaths on a state level, but hasn't been disclosing the number of deaths on a county level for three months, The Palm Beach Post reported.

Read more at: https://www.newsweek.com/florida-wont-release-number-covid-deaths-individual-counties-despite-surge-cases-1628067?utm_source=PushnamiMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=automatic&UTM=1631368618680&subscriberId=5ef650d523994a6b87f208b6

USA-Florida: COVID vaccine pop-up held at funeral of fallen Florida deputy

For the last few months, Florida officials have been bringing COVID-19 vaccines to places where many people gather like concerts and malls to make it easier for someone to get a shot.

On Monday, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office hosted a pop-up at a location at an unusual venue that could put things into perspective: the funeral of 32-year-old Polk County Deputy Sheriff Christopher Broadhead. The father of five died from COVID-19 complications on Aug. 23 after being in the hospital for several weeks.

Read more at: COVID vaccine pop-up held at funeral of fallen Florida deputy | Miami Herald

USA-Covid-19: Texas, Florida accounting for nearly 40% of new COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S.

During a briefing Thursday, the White House COVID-19 Response Team said the percentage of new daily COVID-19 cases is up 24% from the previous week, which is about 113,000 new cases per day.

Hospitalizations are up 31% over the same time period, some 9,700 new admissions daily.

Texas is considered a problem area.

"Florida and Texas, alone, have accounted for nearly 40% of new hospitalizations across the country," White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients explained.

Read more at: Texas, Florida accounting for nearly 40% of new COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S.

‘USA-Florida: Coming Here In Droves’: Broward Health Facing Double Surge Of Patients

The chief medical officer for Broward Health said his four hospitals are facing a double surge of patients and that has been particularly challenging.

It’s a spike in both unvaccinated COVID patients and others who put off surgeries during the pandemic.

Read more at: ‘Coming Here In Droves’: Broward Health Facing Double Surge Of Patients

USA: Florida Covid-19: Extreme policies, average statistics raise questions around the state's coronavirus data - by Deidre McPhillips

n a peer-reviewed study in the American Journal of Public Health in March, researchers analyzed excess mortality data in Florida. One reason they specifically chose to analyze Florida was because it was one of the first states to lift Covid-19 restrictions.

Their research found that "the impact of COVID-19 on mortality is significantly greater than the official COVID-19 data suggest." Nearly 5,000 excess deaths in Florida between March and September 2020 are "unexplained," according to the study.

Read more at: Florida Covid-19: Extreme policies, average statistics raise questions around the state's coronavirus data - CNN

USA - Global warming and the economy: Sink or swim: Miami’s perilous future facing climate change

With its white-sand beaches and glittery high-rises, Miami is still a vacation hotspot. But lapping at those shores is another reality.

The city is also a "possible future Atlantis, and a metonymic stand-in for how the rest of the developed world might fail — or succeed — in the climate-changed future," writes Miami journalist Mario Alejandro Ariza in his forthcoming book, "Disposable City: Miami's Future on the Shores of Climate Catastrophe."

This may not be news to some. The city's plight has been the subject of investigative reporting and even viral news stories after an octopus showed up in a parking garage following an especially high tide.

Read more at:
Sink or swim: Miami’s perilous future facing climate change | Salon.com

USA Florida Parkland shooting: - Many US policians have blood on their hands: The NRA and gun lobby invested millions in Trump and other Republicans in 2016 and they are tied to the NRA hands and feet

At least 17 high school students are believed dead in a school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The suspect, a 19-year-old former student, had threatened his peers before, and collected guns at home, students told the Miami Herald.

The US’s political response to these tragic incidents has become rote—Republicans offer up “thoughts and prayers,” Democrats demands new legislation that stands no chance of passing.

America’s gun lobby has deep pockets. The National Rifle Association and its affiliates spent over $50 million in political advertisements in the last US general election, boosting Republicans who promised to support the NRA and targeting Democrats who propose stricter gun laws.

In fact, the pro-gun lobby spent over twice as much to fight Democrats ($34.5 million), as it did to support Republicans ($14.5 million). President Donald Trump, who tweeted his condolences to Parkland parents on Wednesday, was the biggest beneficiary of those ad dollars.

Separately, the NRA and affiliated pro-gun groups donated millions directly to individual politicians in Congress as well. Paul Ryan, Ryan Zinke, and Martha McSally were among the biggest recipients in 2016:

The NRA has a dedicated lobbyist, Marion Hammer, in Florida. She has helped make Florida a “laboratory for generating new types of gun protections,” as NPR host Terry Gross explained last year.

This year, Hammer is pushing for legislation that would prevent local sheriffs from testifying for gun control laws in uniform. Meanwhile, Republican politicians in the state are pushing to allow guns in elementary schools and airports.

Read more: Parkland shootng: The NRA and gun lobby invested millions in Trump and other Republicans in 2016 — Qua

US Insurance Industry: Hurricane Irma will hammer insurance industry with billions in losses - by Christina Farr

Hurricane Irma will create combined insured losses of $20 billion to $65 billion, according to a projection from risk modeling software company AIR Worldwide.

The company includes in its estimate the United States and selected islands in the Caribbean. For the U.S. alone, insured losses are expected to reach between $15 billion to $50 billion, AIR said.

Although the final costs of Hurricane Harvey are still being tallied, the more powerful Irma has brought Florida to a standstill and is likely to pack a financial wallop along with its human toll.

Read more: Hurricane Irma will hammer insurance industry with billions in losses

USA: Flood Insurance: Most Florida flood zone property not insured

As Hurricane Irma bears down on Florida, an Associated Press analysis shows a steep drop in flood insurance across the state, including the areas most endangered by what could be a devastating storm surge.

In just five years, the state's total number of federal flood insurance policies has fallen by 15 percent, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency data.

Florida's property owners still buy far more federal flood insurance than any other state - 1.7 million policies, covering about $42 billion in assets - but most residents in hazard zones are badly exposed.

With 1,350 miles of coastline, the most in the continental United States, Florida has roughly 2.5 million homes in hazard zones, more than three times that of any other state, FEMA estimates. And yet, across Florida's 38 coastal counties, just 42 percent of these homes are covered.

In the counties being under at least partial evacuation orders Wednesday (Collier, Broward, Monroe and Miami-Dade), where 1.3 million houses are estimated to be in flood hazard zones, the percentage is an even lower 34.3 percent.

Florida's overall flood insurance rate for hazard-zone homes is just 41 percent. Fannie Mae ostensibly requires mortgage lenders to make sure property owners buy this insurance to qualify for federally backed loans, and yet in 59 percent of the cases, that insurance isn't being paid for.

Nationwide, only half the 10 million properties that need flood insurance have it, said Roy Wright, who runs the National Flood Insurance Program. He told the AP last week that he wants to double the number of policies sold nationally in the near future.

Read more: Most Florida flood zone property not insured

Economic Mission: Dutch Companies Invited to Apply for Economic Mission to Miami - April 17-20

Dutch companies that specialize in innovative solutions in life sciences, healthcare, and sustainable urban solutions are invited to join an economic mission to Miami April 17-20 that will explore opportunities to collaborate with their counterparts in the US and Latin America.

Lilianne Ploumen, the Netherlands’ Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, will lead the mission with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, the Netherlands Network for Innovation, Technology and Science, and the Miami Consulate General of the Netherlands.

The mission is intended to introduce and connect promising Dutch IT-driven innovations in life sciences and healthcare to counterparts in the United States and Latin America.Companies and knowledge institutions that are active in sustainable urban solutions, healthcare IT, educational tools in healthcare, or other high-tech solutions with medical applications are welcome to join this mission. IT companies that focus on entertainment, media, gaming, educational technology and finance will also be present at the eMerge Americas conference.

As part of the mission, participants will have the opportunity to attend the eMerge Americas Showcase/Conference April 18-19 and take part in matchmaking and company visits on April 20. IT companies that focus on entertainment, media, gaming, educational technology and finance will also be present at the eMerge Americas conference.

eMerge Americas is a unique platform for the advancement of technology, a forum for idea exchange, and a launching pad for innovations to Latin America, North America, and Europe.

The Netherlands Consulate General in Miami sees opportunities for the Dutch IT and life science and health sectors specifically for the rapidly emerging opportunities in healthcare in the U.S. and Latin America.

Think you might be onto something? Showcase your innovation at eMerge Americas in Miami and compete with other startups from around the globe. With hundreds of angel investors and venture capitalists on the expo floor, the exposure alone is powerful. Winning has its perks, too — up to $175,000 in cash and prizes.

The Netherlands Consulate General in Miami is helping Dutch startups to showcase their technologies. Email Barbara Staals, Miami Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, to learn more.

See also: Learn more about the mission (in Dutch), including instructions to apply.and watch video eMerge Video.

Insure-Digest

Cuba-USA: A new chapter in Cuba -US relations: History happening again right before our eyes - by RM

Viva Cuba - Viva USA

History is  happening right before our eyes - Cuba-USA: March 21, 2016 . The first day of Spring and also signalling a new beginning in a long-rime historic and often turbulent relationship between the USA and Cuba,

For me personally it brings back many memories, going back to when I was a kid visiting Havana, Cuba in 1957, with my parents ( two years before the Castro Revolution) - on the way from La Guaira, Venezuela to Le Havre, France.

Cuba-USA  -A new Chapter -Raoul Castro and Barack Obama -  

Cuba at that time was a US backed "Republic" ruled by Fulgenca Batista, a ruthless dictator with close links to the US Mafia. He ruled Cuba with an iron hand, while the mob controlled all the night-life, prostitution and other criminal activities. 

The "real economy" of Cuba at that time was mainly in the hands of US multi- nationals, as was over 50 % of the sugar industry, 

The US multi-national communications giant of that time, ITT,, controlled all the communication systems on the Island. 

Fast Forward to 1980 - working for a multi-national aluminum corporation based in Pittsburgh, I was assigned to organize a "strategy planning" meeting for our Caribbean External Relations Managers. We chose the beautiful Florida Island of Key-West to hold the meeting.

Again history happened right before our eyes, when we literally saw from the hotel we were staying in Key West how droves of Cuban refugees started arriving on Key West shores - this eventually became known as the Mariel Boat Lift. 

And here today we are again in Florida, April 21,2016, watching live scenes form Cuba, with Raoul Castro and Barack Obama starting a new chapter in the Cuban US relationship - we can only hope that Cuba and the US will have learned from their past mistakes, and that greed will not, once again, become the driving force of this relationship.  

Viva Cuba, Viva USA !

 
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