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COVID-19 positivity rate down in Orange County, officials say

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County officials had some good news on the status of new cases of COVID-19, but it didn’t come from a health department spokesperson.

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Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings painted a positive picture on how the county is doing.

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He said the 14-day positivity rate is 6.4%, and it’s a good indicator that infection is under control. It’s down 19% in just a month.

A representative from the Florida Department of Health decided not to participate in Thursday’s meeting. Channel 9 asked why and if it had anything to do with the county health director, Dr. Raul Pino, being placed on administrative leave.

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Pino was suspended in January for an email he sent to his staff about a lack of vaccinations within the department.

Demings said he’s not sure what the status of Pino’s employment is.

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Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com

Adam Poulisse joined WFTV in November 2019.