It’s Wednesday, April 8th – and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know for the day.
No. 1 - Two drive-thru testing sites will open Wednesday across South Florida in the ongoing fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
One site will open at the Miami-Dade Fairgrounds to anyone who is 18 years of age and older showing symptoms. The testing site is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week and to be able to get tested, you must call ahead to make an appointment at 305-499-8767.
A second site is opening in Broward County for those experiencing symptoms, being held in Lauderhill at the Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium by appointment only. To make an appointment, call 954-320-5730.
No. 2 - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the state will receive one million doses of hydroxychloroquine on Wednesday, which will then be administered to hospitals across the state.
Critical care doctors at Broward Health Medical Center are already giving it to patients. The shipment the governor referred to is for COVID-19 patients, not for those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. Hydroxychloroquine isn’t the only medicine doctors are experimenting with when it comes to treating COVID-19 patients, but it is getting a lot of attention during this pandemic because it’s been used since the 1950’s and is considered low risk.
No. 3 - Several of the major insurance companies are stepping up to offer some much needed relief to their customers during these tough financial times.
Local
Allstate’s CEO says they have created the shelter in place payback to give its auto insurance customers more than $600 million back to help with costs. Several companies are pausing policy cancelations due to nonpayment while some companies are doing is offering free or automatic coverage to anyone using their personal car for important deliveries during this time.
No. 4 - A local doctor and a 3D printing company are teaming up to adapt face shields to be used by medical personnel during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Alexander Hussain is the owner of 3D Chimera, a 3D printing studio in southwest Miami-Dade. After working with his brother to 3D print face shields for a Tampa area hospital, several hundreds of people have come asking for replicas. For each $20 shield bought, he donates another one to the doctor’s teams. This week, he’s working with a nearby hand surgeon, Dr. Roberto Miki, to make medical face shields out of scuba masks and 3D printed adapters and filters to keep coronavirus particulars while medical professionals are working.
No. 5 - One local politician and a prominent businesswoman are working to give residents a chance to give back - by giving hero hospital workers a chance to stay safe and have a decent place to sleep.
Miami city commissioner Ken Russell and businesswoman Ana Milton are combining to help vacant apartments be used by doctors, nurses and other medical personnel who cannot go back to their homes at this time. The units will be available weekly for however long these workers need with an elevator and three floors exclusively dedicated to them. Russell and Milton are asking any landlords or whoever may have vacancies to consider opening them up to frontline workers in similar situations.
No. 6 -Weatherwise, Wednesday will be a hot one in South Florida has temperatures will be flirting with near record highs in the area and no rain in sight. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
