AND WE ARE BACK WITH CBS 4
NOW AT 7:00, WITH THE
CORONAVIRUS CASES AND DEATHS
CONTINUING TO RISE AT RECORD
PACE, VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE
AND MEMBERS OF THE WHITE HOUSE
TASK FORCE ADDRESS THE NATIONAL
CRISIS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
MONTHS THIS AFTERNOON.
DR. DEBORAH BIRX SAID IT'S A
CALL TO ACTION.
IT REALLY SHOWS THE COUNTRY
AS A WHOLE AND WHY WE'RE ASKING
EVERY AMERICAN TO REMAIN
VIGILANT.
TO DO THOSE THINGS WE HAVE BEEN
ASKING YOU ALL TO DO.
TO WEAR A MASK.
TO PHYSICALLY DISTANCE.
TO CONTINUE YOUR HAND HYGIENE.
IT COMES AS THE CDC WARNS
AMERICANS TO AVOID TRAVELING
THIS THANKSGIVING.
THE ALARMING RISE IS ALSO BEING
DOCUMENTED HERE IN FLORIDA.
THE KEY WEST CITY COMMISSION
AMENDED THE CITY'S MASK
ORDINANCE, NOW REQUIRING MASKS
BE WORN BY EVERYONE WHO STEPS
FOOT OUTSIDE.
WE'RE ALSO HEARING FOR THE
FIRST TIME IN WEEKS FROM
GOVERNOR RON DeSANTIS.
NOT ON MITIGATION EFFORTS, BUT
ON THERAPEUTICS.
MORE THAN 9,000 CASES SINCE
YESTERDAY, AND 81 ADDITIONAL
DEATHS.
MIAMI-DADE REPORTED 1,945
NEW CASES.
THERE WERE 902 NEW CASES IN
BROWARD, AND 73 IN MONROE
COUNTY.
10 MORE DEATHS WERE REPORTED
ACROSS DADE, AND BROWARD.
CBS4'S TY RUSSELL WITH THE
LATEST ON THIS.
Reporter: I TALKED TO A
DOCTOR WHO TOLD ME NUMBERS ARE
GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION
HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
HE ALSO TOLD ME ABOUT THE TOUGH
DECISION HE HAS HAD TO MAKE
AHEAD OF THE HOLIDAY, AND HE
EXPLAINS WHY YOU NEED TO BE
MAKING THAT SAME DECISION.
THE COVID-19 INFECTION RATE IS
RISING.
IN A RECORDED MESSAGE FROM
GOVERNOR RON DeSANTIS, HE MAKES
NO MENTION ABOUT IT.
THERE WILL BE ROUGHLY 40
MILLION DOSES OF THESE TWO
VACCINES AVAILABLE.
25MILLION FOR PFIZER, AND 15
MILLION FOR MODERNA.
EACH INDIVIDUAL REQUIRES TWO
DOSES.
THAT WOULD MEAN THERE BE ENOUGH
VACCINE FOR 20 MILLION
AMERICANS BY THE END OF
DECEMBER.
THE GOVERNOR CONTINUES
FOCUSING ON VACCINE
DISTRIBUTION ONCE THE FDA
APPROVES, AND MEDICINE TO HELP
THOSE WHO ARE REALLY SICK.
CLOSELY WATCHING THE INCREASE
IN PATIENTS.
PRESENTLY, WE SEE THE
NUMBERS GOING UP.
IF YOU LOOK AT OUR MISSIONS AND
OUR HOSPITALS, THEY'RE NOWHERE
WHERE THEY WERE IN JULY.
Reporter: THE TWO WEEK
AVERAGE POSITIVITY RATE IS NOW
AT 8.15%.
IN BROWARD, IT'S 7.51.
BOTH WELL ABOVE THE 5% MARK,
WHICH CONCERNS HEALTH EXPERTS.
SINCE THE CDC HAS SEEN A
MILLION ADDITIONAL CASES
NATIONALLY IN A WEEK, IT HAS
RECOMMENDED AGAINST ANY
TRAVELING, GROUND OR AIR FOR
THE UPCOMING HOLIDAY.
I JUST MADE THE VERY
DIFFICULT DECISION, AND WE
BASICALLY HAD THANKSGIVING, WE
PRETTY MUCH CANCELED
THANKSGIVING.
THERE'S GOING TO BE NO MORE
EXTENDED FAMILY.
JUST THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY.
Reporter: THE HEALTHCARE
SYSTEM ARE RECEIVING THE PFIZER
VACCINE NEXT MONTH.
IT NEEDS FREEZERS LIKE THIS TO
KEEP THE VACCINE FRESH.
IT WILL BE STORED AT MINUS 70
DEGREES CELSIUS.
JACKSON SAYS IT PLANS TO OFFER
IT TO FRONTLINE WORKERS, LONG
TERM CARE STAFF, ALONG WITH
RESIDENTS, AND FIRST
RESPONDERS.
THE GOVERNOR SAYS WALGREENS AND
CVS PHARMACY WILL ALSO GET THE
VACCINE TO LONG TERM CARE
CENTERS, BUT THEY'RE NOT HERE
YET.
WE'RE VERY WORRIED THAT THE
FLOOD GATES MAY OPEN.
THAT'S WHY IT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT FOR NEXT WEEK THAT WE
AVOID THIS GATHERING.
Reporter: THE PUSH TO ADD
MORE TESTING, ESPECIALLY
BECAUSE OF THE LONG LINES, AND
TO IMPLEMENT A MASK MANDATE,
THE GOVERNOR HASN'T RESPONDED
TO THEIR REQUEST.
WE'RE WELL AWARE THIS IS ALL
TOUGH INFORMATION TO TAKE IN,
ESPECIALLY OVER THE HOLIDAY
SEASON.
HOWEVER, THE UM HEALTH DOCTOR
TOLD ME THERE IS HOPE, BECAUSE
NEXT YEAR AT THIS TIME, IT'S
LIKELY WE WILL NOT BE DEALING
WITH ANYTHING LIKE WHAT WE ARE
DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW.
BUT HE DOES WANT PEOPLE TO STAY
SAFE, ESPECIALLY DURING THE