Florida Keys

Lower Keys patients will have a closer option after the health system announced it was opening a treatment facility at the site of the former GenesisCare center.

Opioid overdoses have been a major problem in Florida for years. The synthetic opioid fentanyl is even more dangerous. Health workers are trying to distribute overdose kits as widely as they can.

The genetic modification is intended so that female offspring won't survive. Female mosquitoes are the ones that bite and can transmit diseases like dengue and Zika.

A gated community for seniors 65 and older in the Florida Keys had been vaccinated by mid-January , according to a newsletter emailed to its residents.

It's long been true that some students who attend Monroe County schools struggle with not having enough to eat, and COVID-19 has made the situation worse. Educators say the pandemic also has led to new solutions for student hunger.

People have been drinking more during the pandemic. Almost a quarter of adults in the Keys were already heavy or binge drinkers. Now some are rethinking the town's party scene.

"Papa" lookalikes get together to make the video that will be shown on social media outlets with a message to tourists encouraging them to wear masks while they're on the island.

The retooled law says everyone over age 6 must wear face coverings in public — whether or not they can social distance — and they must carry a mask with them when outside their homes.

Fantasy Fest is the biggest event of the year in the Florida Keys. It was canceled this year because of the pandemic. But die-hard partiers plan on carrying on the costume and scant-clothing tradition, despite concerns from locals.

The 14-day average of percentage positive COVID-19 tests is over 5 percent in the Keys — a key indicator for public health experts. But a local health official cautions that small numbers can make a big difference in the relatively small county.