coronavirus testing

Cases of COVID, flu and RSV continue to rise in parts of Florida yet COVID is the only of the three viruses to have a commercial at-home test kit.

Mayor Jerry Demings says rolling back the testing requirement is good news for the local economy, especially the hospitality sector.

A senior administration official said the mandate expires Sunday at 12:01 a.m. EDT, saying the CDC has determined that it’s no longer necessary.

Center for COVID Control, which closed its Florida sites in January after receiving complaints about questionable results, is accused of deceptively marketing testing services and violating Oregon’s Unlawful Trade Practices Act.

The Biden administration has asked Congress to allocate $22.5 billion more for pandemic relief. But the funding is stalled and the effects are already being felt.

The county is also allowing its state of local emergency to expire as cases decline.

Officials say fewer than 100,000 orders a day are coming in for the packages of four free rapid tests per household. The White House is sensitive to criticism that plan may have come too late.

For some people, getting a positive coronavirus test could mean loss of income or other life disruptions. Doctors worry about growing disincentives to test and how this could prolong the pandemic.

The omicron variant upended a system in which states shared rapid tests with those that needed them more. Cooperation has turned into competition as states run out of supplies, limit which organizations get them or hold on to expired kits as a last resort.

People typically don't report positive results from at-home tests to health officials, so Florida's case totals are likely higher than reported.