DeSantis slams Biden over COVID-19 policies

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 across the state

• DeSantis trumpets his COVID policies: A defiant Gov. Ron DeSantis opened the 2022 Legislature Tuesday by blistering President Biden's administration over its COVID-19 policies while endorsing his own approach that he said emphasized freedom for Floridians.
• Jacksonville upping their testing game: Faced with the long lines and early daily closures of city-run testing sites, Jacksonville will chip in another $2.5 million to help the sites that regularly hit capacity. 
• Biden administration announces free home COVID test program:  But it might get easier to test yourself at home. Starting Saturday, private health insurers will be required to cover up to eight home COVID-19 tests per month for people on their plans. Under the new policy, Americans will be able to either purchase home testing kits for free under their insurance or submit receipts for the tests for reimbursement, up to the monthly per-person limit. 
• COVID testing scams: But while you're going through your testing options, keep in mind that state and local authorities are warning residents to be on the lookout for fraudulent pop-up sites trying to scam people out of money and personal information. Some regretful test-takers spoke to USA TODAY about a particular string of testing centers: the so-called "Center for COVID Control," which lists 17 locations in Florida.
• More hospital restrictions: Panama City's two hospitals have imposed stricter visitation rules in the face of spiking COVID-19 cases in the area.

Fact check: Email requiring employees to use masks on Zoom calls originated as joke

The claim: Email required employees to wear masks during Zoom calls

The verdict: Based on our research, we rate ALTERED an image claiming to show an email that required employees to wear masks during Zoom calls. The image was created as satire for a TikTok video and was not sent in an actual workplace.

Omicron variant is causing another COVID surge. Here are some helpful links

Because of the COVID case surge — as of Jan. 7, Florida still was No. 4 on a list of states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest — we will include these links in this daily newsletter.

• Is it the flu, a cold, or the omicron variant? How to know, and when to get tested for COVID

•Do COVID-19 boosters protect against omicron? Where and when can I get a booster in Florida?

•This free tool compares the spread of COVID-19 in your area (this story is free to read)

• Symptomatic or not, should you bother getting a COVID-19 test?

•COVID vaccine cocktails: A guide to mixing and matching Pfizer, Moderna, J&J booster shots

•What to know if you're exposed or test positive for coronavirus

Feedback for us? Really, it's welcome

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.

Chris' note of the day: Testing is the big topic of the day, and week, and month... Vaccinated or not (and I hope you are, and boostered), testing is important if there's a chance if you may have become infected with COVID-19 both for your own health and for the health of anyone you come in contact with. Here's a quick guide on the at-home tests, how they work, where you can get them, and how accurate they are.

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

— C. A. Bridges, cbridges@gannett.com