Byron Donalds, Florida Representative and GOP candidate for governor endorsed by President Donald Trump, recently discussed key issues shaping the state’s future, including immigration enforcement, property taxes, and vaccination policies.

State Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, wants to expand Florida’s vaccine exemptions to allow parents to request “conscience-based” exemptions to school vaccine mandates.

A local pediatrician is stressing the importance of vaccines after Baptist Health confirmed two pediatric measles cases in Jacksonville last week.

From changing vaccine requirements to eliminating property taxes, the upcoming Florida Legislative Session is expected to be a hectic 60 days for state lawmakers.

A vote on whether to change the timing of the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns has become very contentious.

About two-thirds of likely Florida voters polled by the University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab don’t want the state to end childhood vaccine mandates.

A group of researchers led by a University of Florida Health scientist is recommending universal immunization of pregnant women and infants against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) following a yearslong study of the impact of hospitalizing children with the illness, UF Health said on Wednesday.

Florida’s decision to end school vaccine mandates has sparked debate between health officials and state leaders over public safety and parental rights.

Health experts say the desire to please a political base may compromise public health and safety.

Clinical research centers across the US, including the Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research, are being impacted by the Department of Health and Human Services’ announcement to cancel contracts and withdraw funding for vaccines being developed to combat viruses like COVID-19 and the flu.

As northeast Florida families prepare for another school year, a Jacksonville pediatrician with more than 40 years of medical experience is sounding an alarm over falling vaccination rates for the immunizations required for school-age children.

In order to help parents avoid the back-to-school rush, county health departments in the coastal district are hosting summer vaccination and screening events for students.

Mixed messaging about vaccines is undermining public trust. But people still value their doctor’s opinion when it comes to deciding about vaccinations.

April 21 marks the beginning of National Infant Immunization Week, a crucial time to emphasize the role vaccines play in safeguarding children from preventable diseases.

Clay County Animal Services (CCAS) will provide free vaccinations for Clay County pets. The no-cost vaccines are made possible through Petco Love’s national vaccinated and loved.

The latest COVID-19 vaccine study is providing answers to one of the most asked questions since the vaccines were introduced: How will this impact my health?

Winter is here and with the cooler weather come viruses, such as the flu, COVID, and RSV. Last year we experienced a rise in all three during December, January, and February.

As a new school year inches closer, some students must get their shots. The sooner you get them, the better.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling on state lawmakers to permanently ban COVID-19 mandates on masks and vaccines.

Cases of the monkeypox virus in Florida have more than tripled this month. However, health officials believe there is reason to be optimistic.

We have new information on finding the monkeypox vaccine in Jacksonville – and where cases stand in Florida and Georgia.

Sulzbacher Village Pediatric Health Center held a vaccination event Saturday.

Will you be vaccinating your child?

Florida is the only state that hasn’t preordered COVID-19 vaccines for young children. It missed a Tuesday deadline to order the shots, according to a report from the Miami Herald.

The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters as it confronts the omicron surge, with the Food and Drug Administration allowing extra Pfizer shots for children as young as 12.

As COVID cases surge in Florida, so does the number of people seeking testing, which in some cases has resulted in multiple hour wait times.

Local pharmacies will begin vaccinating young children against COVID-19 this weekend.

Health care groups point to it as evidence that the state’s “Seniors First” vaccine rollout strategy paid off.

If you’ve had the coronavirus, how long do you have to wait before being vaccinated? Can you mix vaccine brands?

A series of free COVID-19 vaccination and testing events will be held in Camden County this week in response to a recent surge in infections, the Georgia Department of Public Health said Monday.

Joining a growing number of health systems nationwide, Ascension announced on Tuesday that it will require COVID-19 vaccinations for its associates, whether they care for patients or not.

What questions do you have about the COVID-19 vaccine?

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new guidelines that people who have been vaccinated can ditch the mask, some parents and health officials are concerned about what it means for younger children who still can’t get the vaccine.

Experts say it could be 2023 or later before COVID-19 vaccines are widely available in some countries.

It's not yet known if COVID-19 vaccines can affect your period, but researchers are starting to study the issue.

In a new public health advisory, Florida’s surgeon general has ordered state and federal vaccine locations to stop asking people for proof of residency to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Jacksonville, Fla. – Dr. Sunil Joshi, president of the Duval County Medical Society Foundation, is concerned that the Gateway Mall and two satellite federal vaccination site are about to stop giving first doses before the majority of Floridians get their shots. Ron DeSantis says he expects to drop the age requirement altogether within the next few weeks. “Demand is starting to increase above supply, which is where we were in December and early January when people were complaining about the long lines and also difficulty getting into making appointments to get the vaccine,” Joshi said. “Let’s hope that the federal sites will come back and can provide vaccines, especially in these underserved where they were doing them very successfully.”AdWHEN? Getting vaccinated in Northeast FloridaWatch Joshi’s full interview with News4Jax anchor Jennifer Waugh above.

First- and second-graders line up for Salk Polio vaccine shots on April 23, 1955. Regardless of where anyone stands on the matter, we know that vaccinations have been protecting us from diseases for decades. In 1921, the United States recorded 206,000 cases, which resulted in 15,520 deaths, according to the History of Vaccines website. According to the CDC, polio was once one of the most feared diseases in the U.S. Since 1979, there have been no polio cases that originated in the U.S.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than 2 million seniors in Florida have been inoculated against COVID-19 so far, but as the state begins to lower age requirements, hundreds of seniors are still being missed in low-income housing. The agency said it vaccinated over 9,000 seniors in two weeks and it planned to wrap up the effort on Friday. State vaccine clinics were held at 10 Duval County HUD apartment complexes as a part of the vaccination effort, according to a Division of Emergency Management spokesperson. “A lot of the clients here either don’t have a way to go and then you got others, I think they are just a little leery of the vaccine,” Bess said. AdThe Division of Emergency Management has not answered questions about whether it plans to create vaccine clinics at public housing authorities throughout the state.

When will children be able to get COVID-19 vaccines? (AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin)NEW YORK – When will children be able to get COVID-19 vaccines? Pfizer and Moderna expect to start studies in children 11 and younger later this year. Read previous Viral Questions:How would COVID-19 vaccine makers adapt to variants? AdHow do we know the COVID-19 vaccines are safe?

The sisters of Spanish King Felipe VI have acknowledged on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, that they were administered COVID-19 vaccines during a visit to the United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza, File)MADRID – Two untimely coronavirus jabs have dealt another blow to the reputation of Spain's royals. The vaccination by the king’s sisters was widely criticized across Spain. The sisters of Spain’s King Felipe VI are no longer part of the official royal household, which said that the 53-year-old Felipe, Queen Letizia and their two daughters have not yet been vaccinated. Health Minister Carolina Darias, from the senior, Socialist partner of the governing coalition, made a distinction between Felipe and his sisters.

AdWhen available, the additional free COVID-19 vaccines will be administered in 64 Winn-Dixie store locations, three Harveys Supermarket and two Fresco y Más locations in the following 39 Florida counties:Alachua County Winn-Dixie Store No. 441, High Springs, FL 32643Baker County Winn-Dixie Store No. 231 N., Panama City, FL 32404Bradford County Winn-Dixie Store No. 743: 4849 Golden Gate Pkwy., Naples, FL 34116 (new)Dunnellon County (New county and location) Winn-Dixie Store No. 2206: 15912 E. State Road 40, Silver Springs, FL 34488 Martin County (New county and location) Winn-Dixie Store No.

(AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – “Shot shopping” by seniors from neighboring areas and uncertainty about COVID-19 vaccine allotments are vexing local officials in rural counties, but the state’s emergency management chief blames the problems on supply shortages. Moskowitz said the state was allotting vaccine doses to counties based on the number of residents ages 65 and older. Small county officials are also expressing consternation over the governor’s decision to steer shots to pharmacies at Publix supermarkets. Many rural areas lack a Publix, and some small counties where the Florida-based chain stores operate aren’t administering the vaccinations. She urged state officials to keep rural regions in mind as Florida’s vaccine program moves forward.

At least one in three Americans say they will not get a COVID vaccine when it becomes available to them. One myth floating around is a vaccine will make you test positive. A COVID-19 vaccine will not make you test positive for a current COVID infection on a viral test. However, you could test positive on some antibody tests if you develop an immune response. One of the most common myths is vaccines give you the virus.

Can COVID-19 vaccines be mixed and matched? The COVID-19 vaccines rolling out in the United States, the United Kingdom and other parts of the world so far require two shots given a few weeks apart. In the U.S. where Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are being distributed, health officials say the vaccines are not interchangeable. But without any studies, vaccine doses should not be mixed, said Naor Bar-Zeev, a vaccine expert at Johns Hopkins University. Read previous Viral Questions:Should I get a COVID-19 vaccine if I’ve had the virus?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After learning that Florida has almost a million unused vaccine doses, News4Jax reached out to local health departments who are limiting appointments saying they can’t get enough Pfsizer or Moderna vaccine. This means of the vaccines Florida has received, only 38% have been given. In Central Florida, health departments said vaccines on “hold” are put in storage, but are intended to be used. California received the most vaccines with more than 2 million doses available to the state. We are poised to mobilize the operation as soon we receive an additional allotment.”News4Jax will update this story when we health back from other health departments.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene said no more COVID-19 vaccination events are planned for school district employees at this time. Greene said about 200 of the 550 district employees who are either 65 or older or medical personnel were able to get vaccinated on Monday during a special event held for Duval County school workers. Greene said the district is in a holding pattern until the health department will be able to arrange for more vaccines for the rest of the employees in those two groups. Greene sent an email to district employees last week, telling them those 65 years or older or medical personnel could begin getting vaccinated this week. And that is why we are working very hard to get that vaccine to our employees,” Greene said.

“Health care professionals like you have tirelessly served our state over the past nine months responding to an unprecedented public health crisis and coming together in extraordinary ways to help your communities,” the letter from the Florida Hospital Association and the Florida Medical Association said. You all are true healthcare heroes.”Florida on Dec. 14 began using a Pfizer Inc. vaccine and this week also received shipments of a Moderna vaccine. Ron DeSantis is relying on hospitals to play an integral role in the state’s vaccination education efforts. To that end, the letter said, hospitals and health-care professionals need to educate communities about the importance of vaccines. The governor also said 367,000 Moderna doses are slated to arrive at 170 hospitals this week.

By afternoon, the banner was gone. The demonstration was organized by Florida Freedom Keepers, which has opposed mask mandates and other aspects of public health efforts to battle the coronavirus pandemic as an infringement on personal liberties. Florida Freedom Keepers said there are several concerns over the safety of rushed-to-market COVID-19 vaccines and saying they will be exempt from liability under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act. While national polling had shown about half of people were unwilling to get a COVID-19 vaccine right way, a Gallup poll released in mid-November found the percentage of people willing to get the shot had increased to 58%. There is an antivaccine movement in the United States that expresses concern for years about all vaccines and sometimes spreads wrong or unconfirmed information about adverse effects.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval schools is teaming up with the Department of Health (DOH) to set up in-school flu immunization clinics at schools beginning Nov. 30, according to Duval County Public Schools. Each weekday, between Nov. 30 and Dec. 18, DOH medical professionals will set up a clinic at different schools for a set number of hours. Participation is not mandatory, and only children who have a signed consent form from their parent will be eligible for a flu vaccine. For parents and guardians, who are un-insured and in need of a flu vaccination, please fluvaxjax.com and select “Get a Vaccine” and then “Click Here” to get a no-cost flu vaccine voucher through the #FluVaxJax program. More information is available on this Flu Vaccine Fact Sheet for children from the Duval County Medical Society.

Skyler Kalady, M.D., of Cleveland Clinic Childrens, said its vital to stay on track with vaccines, especially in the middle of a pandemic. Its really important that children stay up to date on routine vaccines to avoid creating a different problem: a vaccine-preventable illnesses, she said. Its especially important this year to vaccinate your child for influenza as early as possible in the season, Kalady said. This will make influenza much less likely, as well as reduce the worrisome possibility of getting both influenza and COVID at the same time.If youre not sure your child is up to date with their vaccines, Kalady recommends calling your pediatrician. She also reminds parents that its safe to visit your pediatricians office during the pandemic, as many facilities are taking extra precautions to keep both caregivers and patients safe.