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Orange County mask mandate may last until there’s a COVID-19 vaccine, likely in spring, health officer says

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — When asked how long Orange County’s mask mandate could last, the county’s health officer said he thinks it will be needed until there’s a vaccine, which could be in the spring.

Dr. Raul Pino said that’s when he thinks lifting the mandate may be safe.

He said his largest concern with the virus in the county right now are long-term care facilities.

“Coronavirus

READ: Florida reports 73 COVID-19-related deaths, fewer than 5K new cases

Right now, he said, 360 people living in assisted living facilities are positive for COVID-19 in the county.

Overall in Orange County, there have been nearly 30,000 COVID-19 cases and 239 deaths.

Here are the latest stats:

  • The county’s 20 latest deaths since the last news conference are people ages 53 to 94.
  • About 260,000 people have been tested, giving a positivity rate of 11.6%.
  • The county had about 3,000 cases at the first of June and in just two months, that number has increased 10 times.
  • The county’s recovery rate continues to go up. It’s 87% as of Monday.
  • Emergency room visits by people with COVID-19 symptoms have tremendously decreased, and hospitals stays are down too.
  • The county has 357 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and 85 people in an ICU.

Click here to find out where to find COVID-19 testing in Central Florida.

Read: FDA expands dangerous hand sanitizer list again, more than 80 products included

Stay tuned to Channel 9 Eyewitness News for updates.

INTERACTIVE MAP: Coronavirus cases in Florida


Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.