Florida

Map shows falling childhood vaccination rates in Florida as state faces measles outbreak

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2 months ago

March 2, 2024

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Map shows falling childhood vaccination rates in Florida as state faces measles outbreak

In the 2021-2022 school year, 91.7% of Florida students provided proof of immunization, the lowest for the state in a decade. The national average for the same year was 93%, according to the CDC.

A measles outbreak in Florida has gripped the state, with confirmed cases popping in two counties even as the state’s top doctor flouts federal health guidance.

Nine total cases have been confirmed across Broward and Polk counties, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Amidst the outbreak, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has contradicted medical guidance by telling parents they could decide whether or not to send their kids back to the schools with confirmed cases.

Ladapo has previously called for a halt to the COVID mRNA vaccines, which federal health officials have repeatedly said are safe and effective. Validating vaccine hesitancy has been a staple of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, and that hesitancy has trickled down to routine immunizations for schools, experts said.

Required immunization reporting for kindergarteners collected by the Florida Department of Health show the extent of that hesitancy over the last five years, as more kindergarteners go to school unvaccinated against measles.

More: Map: See where measles cases are being reported across the US

Florida map shows waning immunization rates over 5 years

The county-specific data does not include the Florida Virtual School, where 83.8% of the 681 students provided proof of vaccination. The report also warns about some limitations of the data caused by outliers and incomplete data collection from private schools. Florida Department of Health did not immediately provide an update on data from the 2022-2023 school year.

Florida reports falling vaccine rates in school kids

Florida students in kindergarten through sixth grade are required to submit a form certifying they have the required vaccines, including two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot.

The percentage of kindergarten students who submitted the form fell to 91.7% in the 2021 to 2022 school year, according to a Florida Department of Public Health report. That’s lower than the national average, 93%, for the same year, and lower than the average in Florida five years prior, which came in at 94.1%.

It was the lowest rate since the 2010-2011 school year, the report stated, citing the pandemic as playing a “significant role” in the drop. The coverage goal is 95%, which just more than a quarter of counties met or exceeded in 2021-2022.

Children who do not submit the form must have an exemption on file: either a temporary medical exemption, a permanent medical exemption or a religious exemption. More than 3% of students claimed a religious exemption in the 2021-2022 school year, the highest ever, the report stated.

35 measles cases reported in 15 states nationwide

Measles cases have been popping up around the country amid dropping rates of vaccination. The national vaccination average for kindergarteners has dropped approximately two percentage points since before the pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 35 total cases this year in 15 states as of Feb. 22:

Arizona
California
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Louisiana
Maryland
Minnesota
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Virginia
Washington

In 2023, there were 58 total cases, according to the CDC.

Contributing: Ken Alltucker, Zac Anderson, John Kennedy, Eduardo Cuevas USA TODAY Network

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Live updates: Florida, local players going on NFL draft Day 3

Published

4 hours ago

April 27, 2024

Press Room

Live updates: Florida, local players going on NFL draft Day 3

UCF wide receiver Javon Baker kicked off Day 3 for Florida prospects in the NFL draft. The Patriots took him in the fourth round (No. 110 overall).

The 6-foot-1, 202-pound Atlanta native and transfer from Alabama was one of the Big 12′s top receivers last season as the Knights transitioned to a major conference. He led the league with 1,139 receiving yards, and his yards per catch (21.9) ranked second nationally. He finished with 52 catches and seven touchdowns.

Baker is the first UCF player taken so far.

Florida State had six players picked through the first two days. The Gators had one (first-round receiver Ricky Pearsall), and Miami had another (third-round pick Kamren Kinchens).

Notable state Day 3 hopefuls include: FSU quarterback Jordan Travis, USF and Gaither High alumnus Donovan Jennings, FSU receiver Johnny Wilson, Gators offensive lineman Kingsley Eguakun and Iowa State defensive back T.J. Tampa (from Lakewood High).

We’ll update this post as more state/local players are chosen.

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Flordia’s 6-week abortion ban means Louisiana women will have to travel farther, wait longer

Published

11 hours ago

April 27, 2024

Press Room

Flordia’s 6-week abortion ban means Louisiana women will have to travel farther, wait longer

The state of Florida, a recent haven for women in the Deep South seeking to terminate their pregnancies in the post-Dobbs era, will ban abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy starting May 1, further narrowing access to the procedure for Louisiana residents.

Nearly 1,200 Louisiana women traveled to Florida for abortions in 2023, roughly three times the number who sought the procedure there two years earlier, according to Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration. Louisiana residents made up about 15% of Florida’s 7,736 out-of-state abortions last year.

The ban may be temporary. While upholding the 6-week abortion threshold earlier this month, Florida’s Supreme Court also ruled that a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to abortion “before viability,” which is typically around 24 weeks, would be on the November ballot.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Louisiana residents will have to travel farther and wait longer to get appointments in states other than Florida. The closest states are North Carolina, which offers abortions up to 12 weeks; Virginia, which allows the procedure until the third trimester; Illinois, which offers abortion until viability; and Kansas, where abortion is legal until 22 weeks.

“That inundates them,” said Kendra Smith-Parks, communications manager at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast in New Orleans. “Right now, we’re one of the most restricted regions, and patients are left with fewer and further options.”

Louisiana residents seeking Florida abortions skyrocketed

Even as Florida tightened the window in which women could get abortions, Louisiana residents continuing seeking them there in increasing numbers.

In 2021, 380 Louisiana residents traveled to Florida to terminate their pregnancies, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration. In 2022, when the abortion ban in Louisiana came down mid-year, the number rose to 910. Then in 2023, the first full year after the near-total ban was enacted, 1,191 Louisiana residents received abortions in Florida, which provided the procedure up to 15 weeks.

Although Florida requires two visits 24 hours apart before an abortion will be performed, the distance and familiarity made it an easier option than flying to a state with less cumbersome requirements for some Gulf South residents.

“A lot of people we’ve spoken to coming out of Texas and Louisiana, some of them have never flown,” said Smith-Parks. “Some are undocumented and are afraid of being detained.”

From June 2022 to January of this year, Planned Parenthood Gulf South has spent about $870,000 assisting around 2,000 women with abortions. With Florida no longer an option for most, Parks said costs the organization paid for, such as gas, flights and childcare, will be more expensive.

The distance also will likely influence whether some choose to continue an unwanted pregnancy, said Michelle Erenberg, executive director of Lift Louisiana, an abortion rights advocacy group.

“Louisiana is honestly the worst-positioned state in the entire country when it comes to abortion access now,” said Erenberg. “The number of states to traverse in order to find a state in which they can access legal abortion is just monumental and will be insurmountable.”

To get an abortion in Florida after May 1, patients would need to find out they were pregnant in the fifth week of pregnancy, which might be one week after a missed period.

Increased funding for crisis centers

Alongside the six-week ban, Florida is giving $25 million to the Florida Pregnancy Care Network, a group of crisis pregnancy centers that counsel women not to have abortions and may offer supplies like diapers and strollers, though some such centers have been found to provide inaccurate or misleading information about abortions. Unlike Louisiana’s law, Florida’s law allows for exceptions for rape and incest up to 15 weeks, but requires an accompanying police or medical report.

Louisiana lawmakers voted to increase funding for similar centers from $1 million to $3 million starting July 1.

Anti-abortion groups pointed to the crisis centers as a resource for the potential additional pregnancies and births that may occur in the state as a result of Florida’s ban.

“Our hope would be that the 1,200 women would look to Louisiana’s local services,” said Sarah Zagorski, director of communications for Louisiana Right to Life, adding that findhelp.org, a site can help families during and after pregnancy.

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Breaking down the 49ers taking Florida State CB Renardo Green at No. 64

Published

18 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Press Room

Breaking down the 49ers taking Florida State CB Renardo Green at No. 64

The San Francisco 49ers made their second selection of the 2024 NFL Draft, taking Florida State cornerback Renardo Green with the No. 64 pick after trading back one spot with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Green, a 6’0, 186-pound receiver who put up 13 pass breakups and an interception in 2023, has a versatile background, having played outside, in the nickel, and even at safety during his collegiate career.

What kind of player is Green and what does this selection mean for the 49ers?

Green’s profile

Green is a 49ers type of cornerback; he’s a press-man corner with ultimate physicality and has the type of frame that they covet at the outside cornerback position.

In college, Green went up against the top competition, impressing against LSU’s elite core of receivers, and holding his ground against star Malik Nabers.

Now, Green ran a 4.49 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, but doesn’t play with elite deep speed. That might be the only detractor to his game.

As a physical player, Green is able to slow receivers down by winning at the line of scrimmage as a press corner, while his agility and change of direction impress me for a player of his physical profile, allowing him to keep with receivers as they run a variety of routes.

He’s exactly what the 49ers like in a cornerback and is a willing run defender, showcasing aggressiveness in that department.

Moreover, Green’s versatility is key, as he can play a number of roles for the 49ers, similar to fellow cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, which San Francisco covets.

For the second consecutive pick, the 49ers went with a player who fits what they covet, choosing a cornerback after getting a receiver in the first round.

Evaluating the pick

For the second consecutive pick, the 49ers chose fireworks, as they traded back one spot from No. 63 with the Kansas City Chiefs, getting back No. 173 and giving up No. 211.

Now, considering the trade specifically, the 49ers got great value for a one spot move, knowing that the Chiefs were likely targeting an offensive tackle with BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia still on the board.

Following the Green selection, insider Jordan Schultz revealed that the 49ers were thinking about an offensive tackle, but their top players were off the board, hence the selection to go with the Florida State product instead.

While I would have preferred Suamataia, given the need for an offensive tackle, be it for 2024 or the future, it feels that San Francisco did not have the BYU lineman high on their board, as they allowed Kansas City to move up and grab him.

Their guy could have been Washington’s Roger Rosengarten, who was taken one spot ahead of them by the Baltimore Ravens, or a bevy of other tackles who went in the 50s.

While he wasn’t my top available player, Green is still a great choice who, once again, fits what San Francisco wants to do as they went with a BPA approach.

More importantly, there is an avenue for Green to compete early on, as he could slot in at one of the starting corner spots should he win the job in camp or even play in a multitude of roles as a reserve.

What it means for the 49ers

Cornerback was a position to watch for the 49ers heading into the draft, as all five of their top players are scheduled to be free agents following the 2024 season.

Now, San Francisco should extend one of their top players, but nonetheless, there was a need for corner in the future, and the 49ers addressed that with Green here at No. 64.

Green should be an outside cornerback in the future, solving a key issue for the 49ers and providing them some flexibility as they look into potential extensions for either Charvarius Ward or Deommodore Lenoir.

I wouldn’t be surprised if San Francisco looks to even double-dip at cornerback in the later rounds, but the choice to go with the skill position players over an offensive tackle is certainly interesting.

Now, with the depth, or lack thereof, at offensive tackle in the later portion of the draft, I thought it was intriguing that the 49ers went with a cornerback, given the depth at that position in the third round, but it’s a good sign that they chose to go best player available, rather than falling in love with a specific player or position.

With receiver and cornerback off the board, the 49ers could look to target the interior offensive line in the third round, although there should still be a ton of talent available at their next selection.

One other thing? I wouldn’t be surprised at a trade up in the third round, as the 49ers now have another asset following their trade with the Chiefs, and they have a bevy of fourth-round picks at their arsenal.

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