Vaccine protected thousands of Florida seniors, federal report shows

It's Friday. Welcome to today's edition of the Florida Coronavirus Watch Newsletter. Let's get you up to speed with the latest news of the day from the USA TODAY Network — Florida.

Here's what's happening around the state

• Federal report shows vaccines prevented thousands of cases, deaths in Florida seniors: During the first five months of 2021, COVID-19 vaccinations may have prevented around 17,000 cases and 2,400 deaths among Florida's seniors, according to researchers with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• FDA panel updates on J&J: Johnson & Johnson's vaccine should be considered a two-dose vaccine rather than the one-and-done shot that had received initial authorization, a federal panel decided Friday.
• State yanks Leon school board salaries over masks: Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran withheld the salaries of all Leon County School Board members Friday, even though the district walked back its COVID-induced mask rule this week.
• Medicare open enrollment starts today: It's time to review your Medicare Advantage and drug plans. In Florida, you can expect a modest increase in average Medicare Advantage premiums but in a year defined by health care, you can also expect more plan options heading into 2022.
• Biketoberfest roars into Florida: Biketoberfest 2021 kicked off Thursday and is expected to draw thousands to Daytona Beach. The event is the first marquee biker meetup to unfold without COVID-19 restrictions since the pandemic began in early 2020.
• U.S. to allow vaccinated foreign tourists to enter country: The United States is set to overhaul its travel restrictions Nov. 8, ushering in a new system that makes U.S. tourism possible for millions of fully vaccinated foreign nationals. 

The lives we've lost

• 500 deaths at Sarasota Memorial: Sarasota Memorial Hospital reached 500 COVID-19 deaths Thursday as the impact of the fading delta wave of the pandemic continues to accumulate.

Latest fact checks

• Claim that Joe Rogan lost Spotify deal due to ivermectin originated as satire

Some good news for your Friday

• Another launch this weekend: ULA is set to launch NASA's asteroid-hunting Lucy probe from Cape Canaveral bright and early on Saturday morning, with a targeted launch time of 5:34 a.m. ET. It's the latest in a series of asteroid-focused initiatives.
• 70-year-old climbs El Capitan to set record on her birthday: Watch this woman celebrate turning 70 with a birthday bash in the sky after a record-setting 3,000-foot climb of El Capitan in Yosemite!
• Former Fort Walton Beach student appears on popular Netflix show: Sophia Layne was voted most likely to be social media famous in the 2017 Fort Walton Beach High School yearbook. Her classmates were right. Layne garnered much social media fame after her appearance in season 3 of Netflix's “The Circle.”

Anything else you want to know? Ask your questions here. And finally, thank you for reading. We appreciate you trusting our statewide journalists to keep you safe and informed. If you are encouraged by our work and want to support your local journalists, please consider subscribing. Know someone who would benefit from this newsletter? Forward this email so they can sign up here.

Megan's note of the day: That's a wrap on another busy week. We're halfway through the month of October! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. We'll see you back here next week.

Here's what else is happening with the coronavirus in Florida today.

— Megan Kearney, mkearney@gannett.com