Coronavirus Updates | January – March 2022

Latest news is displayed first.

For resources and information on the Coronavirus, visit www.ocfl.net/Coronavirus. To watch any past news conference, visit the OrangeTV YouTube playlist.

For the most recent updates, please visit www.ocfl.net/CoronavirusUpdates.

Watch the conference on the YouTube Video Stream or on Vimeo.

Key Takeaways: Orange County News Conference – 3/3/2022

COVID-19 BY THE NUMBERS

As of Wednesday, March 2, 2022, the Florida Department of Health is reporting that Orange County’s 14-day rolling positivity rate is 6.4 percent. Additional County statistics:

• CDC level of community transmission: HIGH
• Eligible residents (5+) who have at least one vaccine dose: 76 percent
• Total positive cases for Orange County residents: 382,130
• Total deaths attributed to COVID-19: 2,689

It is important for residents to remember that the best way to stay healthy is to continue following CDC guidelines to prevent getting sick.

COVID-19 TESTING AND VACCINATIONS

COVID-19 testing and vaccination services are readily available throughout Orange County. Residents have several options to seek services from local government, retail and federal partners.

Testing Services

• Orange County Barnett Park (free)
• Orange County Econ Soccer Complex (free)
• Orange County South Orange Youth Sports Complex (free)
• Retail pharmacies and Medical Clinics
• Federal At-Home Test Kits Program

For more information, visit ocfl.net/Testing.

Vaccination Services (eligibility)

• Orange County Barnett Park
• Federal Retail Pharmacy Program
• VA Orlando Health Care Sites

For more information, visit ocfl.net/Vaccine.

TOURIST DEVELOPMENT TAX COLLECTIONS

Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond announced that Tourist Development Tax (TDT) collections received by Orange County for January 2022 were $22,414,200, a 189.9 percent increase compared to January 2021.

For more TDT information, visit the Office of the Comptroller’s website to read its news release.

RENTAL AND MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE

Rental Assistance (County)

While COVID-19 numbers continue to decrease, it is important to know that Orange County’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program remains open. The program has provided nearly $20 million to support residents who are behind in rent due to the pandemic.

For more information about the program, visit ocfl.net/RentalAssistance.

Mortgage Assistance (State)

Florida’s Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) provides assistance to homeowners for mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, and displacements, as well as loss of utilities, home energy services, and insurance. Florida residents can now to begin the first step of determining their eligibility to participate in the program.

For more information about the program, visit FloridaJobs.org/HAF.

Watch the conference on the YouTube Video Stream or on Vimeo.

Key Takeaways: Orange County News Conference – 2/2/2022

COVID-19 BY THE NUMBERS

As of Tuesday, February 1, 2022, the Florida Department of Health is reporting that Orange County’s 14-day rolling positivity rate is 25.8 percent. Additional County statistics:

• CDC level of community transmission: HIGH
• Eligible residents (5+) who have at least one vaccine dose: 75 percent
• Total positive cases for Orange County residents: 365,411
• Total deaths contributed to COVID-19: 2,436 (112 in January 2022)

It is important for residents to remember that the best way to stay healthy is to continue following CDC guidelines to prevent getting sick.

COVID-19 TESTING AND VACCINATIONS

COVID-19 testing and vaccination services are readily available throughout Orange County. Residents have several options to seek services from local government, retail and federal partners. It is important to know that testing and vaccination services operated by Orange County Government Health Services will continue to operate throughout February.

Testing Services

• Orange County Barnett Park (free)
• Orange County Econ Soccer Complex (free)
• Orange County South Orange Youth Sports Complex (free)
• City of Orlando Camping World Stadium (free)
• Retail pharmacies and Medical Clinics
• Federal At-Home Test Kits Program

For more information, visit ocfl.net/Testing.

Vaccination Services

• Orange County Barnett Park
• Orange County Public Schools
• Federal Retail Pharmacy Program
• VA Orlando Health Care Sites

For more information, visit ocfl.net/Vaccine.

COVID-19 WASTEWATER MONITORING

Orange County Government’s Utilities Department continues its participation in the National Wastewater Surveillance System. Latest test results for COVID-19 virus remnants per liter from Wednesday, February 2, 2022, include:

• South: 633,465 gc/L (90 percent decrease from last month)
• East: 1,082,423 gc/L (84 percent decrease from last month)
• Northwest: 874,643 gc/L (93 percent decrease from last month)

TOURIST DEVELOPMENT TAX COLLECTIONS

Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond announced that Tourist Development Tax (TDT) collections received by Orange County for December 2021 were $28,244,100, a 164.3 percent increase compared to December 2020. Additional month-to-month statistics include:

• December 2021 collections were higher than November 2021 collections by $3.2 million
• December 2021 collections were higher than December 2019 collections just $2.4 million
• December 2021 collections were the highest December collection on record
• December 2021 collections were the third highest collections on record overall

For more TDT information, visit the Office of the Comptroller’s website to read its news release.

Watch the conference on the YouTube Video Stream or on Vimeo.

Key Takeaways: Orange County News Conference – 1/12/2022

COVID-19 BY THE NUMBERS

As of Tuesday, January 11, 2022, the Florida Department of Health is reporting that Orange County’s 14-day rolling positivity rate is 40.79 percent. Additional County statistics:

• CDC level of community transmission: HIGH
• Eligible residents (5+) who have at least one vaccine dose: 73 percent
• Total positive cases for Orange County residents: 319,144

Orange County’s 14-day rolling positivity rate has increased by ten points since last week. It is important for residents to remember that the best way to stay healthy is to continue following CDC guidelines to prevent getting sick.

DRIVE-THRU COVID-19 TESTING

Orange County Government’s Health Services Department continues to operate the following free drive-thru testing sites. Residents are encouraged at arrive early due to the region’s high demand for testing.

• Barnett Park
  4801 W. Colonial Dr., Orlando, FL 32808
  Seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until daily capacity is reached
• Econ Soccer Complex
  8035 Yates Road, Orlando, FL 32807
  Seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until daily capacity is reached
• South Orange Youth Sports Complex
  11800 S. Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32824
  Seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until daily capacity is reached

The City of Orlando has also opened a free drive-thru testing site at Camping World Stadium.

• Camping World Stadium
  1 Citrus Bowl Place, Orlando, FL 32805
  Seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until daily capacity is reached.

For more information about testing, or for additional locations, visit ocfl.net/Testing.

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS

It is important to know there are many location options for eligible individuals to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or booster in Orange County, including Orange County’s Barnett Park, select Orange County Public Schools, Federal Retail Pharmacies, VA Orlando Health Care and other various community sites.

Barnett Park offers vaccinations for individuals 5 years old and older:

• Individuals 12+ Years Old
  Seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until daily capacity is reached
  Drive-thru: 4801 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32808
• Children 5-11 Years Old
  Saturday and Sunday only, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until daily capacity is reached
  Marlin Room, inside main building: 4801 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32808

To find a vaccination site near you, visit ocfl.net/VaccineSites or Vaccines.gov.

COVID-19 WASTEWATER MONITORING

Orange County Government’s Utilities Department continues its participation in the National Wastewater Surveillance System.

Latest test results from Monday, January 10, 2022:

• Eastern: 5.5 million gc/L (down from 15.7 million last week)
• South: 3.5 million gc/L (down from 11.5 million last week)
• Northwest: 10.2 million gc/L (down from 18.7 million last week)

Watch the conference on the YouTube Video Stream or on Vimeo.

Key Takeaways: Orange County News Conference – 1/4/2022

COVID-19 BY THE NUMBERS

As of Monday, January 3, 2022, the Florida Department of Health is reporting that Orange County’s 14-day rolling positivity rate is 30.27 percent. Additional County statistics:

• CDC level of community transmission: HIGH
• Eligible residents (5+) who have at least one vaccine dose: 74 percent
• Total positive cases for Orange County residents: 280,564

COVID-19 WASTEWATER MONITORING – OMICRON

Orange County Government’s Utilities Department continues its participation in the National Wastewater Surveillance System. Test results from Thursday, December 30, 2021, confirm a spike and record-high concentration of coronavirus remnants at all three of the County’s wastewater reclamation facilities.

• Eastern: 12,918,090 gc/L (98.3 percent Omicron)
• South: 9,039,973 gc/L (97.2 percent Omicron)
• Northwest: 13,833,878 gc/L (96.8 percent Omicron)

Variant results indicate that both the Omicron and the Delta variants are circulating within all three service areas, with Omicron being the dominant variant.

COVID-19 TESTING

COVID-19 testing is available at many retail pharmacies, medical clinics and private providers throughout Orange County. Select sites may request insurance or charge fees. Residents are encouraged to speak with their health care provider for additional testing options.

Orange County Health Services Department operates the following free drive-thru testing sites:

• Barnett Park
  4801 W. Colonial Dr., Orlando, FL 32808
  Seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until daily capacity is reached
• Econ Soccer Complex
  8035 Yates Road, Orlando, FL 32807
  Seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until daily capacity is reached
• South Orange Youth Sports Complex
  11800 S. Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32824
  Seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until daily capacity is reached

For more information about testing, or for additional locations, visit ocfl.net/Testing.

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS

It is important to know, there are many location options for eligible individuals to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or booster in Orange County, including Orange County’s Barnett Park, select Orange County Public Schools, mobile vaccination sites, Federal Retail Pharmacies, VA Orlando Health Care and other various community sites.

Barnett Park offers vaccinations for individuals 5 years old and older:

• Individuals 12+ Years Old
  Seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until daily capacity is reached
  Drive-thru: 4801 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32808
• Children 5-11 Years Old
  Saturday and Sunday only, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until daily capacity is reached
  Marlin Room, inside main building: 4801 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32808

To find a vaccination site near you, visit ocfl.net/VaccineSites or Vaccines.gov.

TOURIST DEVELOPMENT TAX COLLECTIONS

Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond announced that Tourist Development Tax (TDT) collections received by Orange County for November 2021 were $25,051,900, a 183.9 percent increase compared to November 2020. Additional month-to-month statistics include:

• November 2021 collections were higher than October 2021 collections by $3.6 million
• November 2021 collections were lower than November 2019 collections just $697,100

For more TDT information, visit the Office of the Comptroller’s website to read its news release.

Please find all previous updates on the previous Coronavirus Updates page.