It’s Friday, Feb. 12th, and NBC 6 has your top news stories of the day.
South Florida is flirting with feels-like temperatures in the upper 80s, although some showers are on tap for the weekend. Click here for your First Alert Forecast.
Here are your six things to know.
No. 1 - Walmart, Sam’s Club Begin Vaccine Rollout in South Florida
Walmart and Sam's Club stores across the state will begin COVID-19 vaccinations in South Florida today.
The vaccines are specifically for seniors 65 and over and frontline health care workers.
Nine Walmart stores will be administering the vaccine in Broward County, with two offering doses in Miami-Dade. Click here for a list of locations.
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People don't have to be a member of Sam's Club to receive the vaccine at those locations, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
Winn-Dixie and Fresco y Mas stores are also launching their own vaccine program, which will initially be available in some Miami-Dade stores but not Broward.
For more information visit Walmart.com/covid-vaccine, Samsclub.com/pharmacy Winndixie.com/pharmacy/covidvaccine or Publix.com/covidvaccine.
No. 2 - Miami Lakes Maker of N95 Masks Has 30 Million on Hand
It’s been one of the most sought after pieces of personal protection since the pandemic began — the N95 mask.
They're hard to find, in demand and yet 30 million of them are sitting in a Miami Lakes warehouse just waiting to be bought.
"The biggest issue we have is reaching consumers," said Luis Arguello Jr., vice president of DemeTECH, which retooled and geared up production of N95s last March when the nation had a critical shortage. "We’re blocked on Google, We’re blocked on social media. You can advertise Chinese masks, but you can’t advertise Made in the USA N95 masks."
Click here to read more.
No. 3 - Many Don't Know How They Caught COVID-19 in Miami-Dade: Report
Many people don't know how they contracted the coronavirus in Miami-Dade County, according to a new report.
NBC 6 Investigators obtained a state analysis of the contact tracing efforts in Miami-Dade County in the last half of 2020. Contact tracing is the interview process health workers do to try and find who an infected person came in contact with.
NBC 6 Investigators obtained the report titled “FLDOH MDC Contact Tracing Extended Questionnaire” through Florida Sunshine Laws. When asked how they got infected, 44.4% told health investigators they caught the virus from a family member while 36.3% said they did not know how.
Those represent a large unknown factor, according to Dr. Aileen Marty from Florida International University. Click here to read more.
No. 4 - Local Events Commemorate Victims of Parkland Shooting
Sunday marks the third anniversary of the tragic Parkland school shooting, which resulted in 17 deaths after a gunman breached campus.
Local cities and organizations are hosting various events to commemorate the lives lost during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Click here to view the list of events.
“At a time when it’s difficult to physically come together, we are grateful to be able to provide our community the opportunity to virtually come together and make a difference in people’s lives,” said Parkland Director of Communications Todd DeAngelis in a press release.
No. 5 - ‘Absurd': DeSantis Pushes Back on Possible Florida Travel Restrictions by Biden Administration
The White House is reportedly considering domestic travel restrictions in multiple states including in Florida, as variant cases of the coronavirus surge across the country.
Officials with the Biden Administration said they are having conversations about anything that could help mitigate spread, including Florida travel restrictions, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing back against any possible restrictions, calling them "absurd."
"I think it's an absurd report that they would be doing that, I think it would be unconstitutional, it would be unwise and it would be unjust," DeSantis said. "Any attempt to restrict or lock down Florida by the federal government would be an attack on our state done purely for political purposes."
Click here to read more.
No. 6 - First Alert Weather
From First Alert Meteorologist Adam Berg:
This stretch of warm and humid weather continues Friday with morning temperatures in the 70s, roughly 10 degrees above average.
While we may not be quite 10 degrees above average during the afternoon, highs around 83 still puts Miami about five degrees above average. It's the humidity that gets you with feels like temperatures pushing the upper-80s.
Rain chances increase a little this weekend as a front stalls across the northern part of the state. Don't worry about a washout as rain chances will be on the order of 20-30%.
Click here for your full forecast.
