Though there are groups of people eagerly awaiting their turn to receive an invitation to the biggest event of the year the COVID-19 vaccination clinic local data show that many eligible Alachua County residents have turned it down.
One of the first groups targeted, front-line health care workers, are among those who have tended to decline vaccinations.
About 5,000 out of 11,000 people in UF Health Shands Hospital’s workforce have been vaccinated, said CEO Ed Jimenez. He said he was surprised by the 47% vaccination rate, thinking it would be higher.
“People have chosen not to be vaccinated,” he said. He offered two main explanations why the employees have chosen that route.
The largest single COVID-19 vaccination event so far in Alachua County is planned Friday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, where thousands are expected to receive the shots, officials said.
UF Health is working with the Alachua County Department of Health to administer the vaccines to people 65 and older who have already registered for the shots.
The event is planned for the Touchdown Terrace area at the north end of the stadium.
Paul Myers, administrator for the Alachua County Department of Health, said the event will be staffed by UF Health and health department workers.
“It’s not going to be on the field. It’s going to be in one of the concourses, he said.
Gallon-sized jugs of hand sanitizer. Masked-up volunteers. A Radio Flyer bike box.
This year’s Toys for Tots campaign run by local Marine Corps organizers may have looked different, but the new toy donations still came pouring in at North Florida Regional Medical Center where the drive-thru toy drop was stationed.
“We saw about a 10% increase in applications this year, which is about (500) to 600 more kids,” said Maj. Dennis Wait, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the likely reason for the uptick in donation requests.
Last year, the campaign distributed nearly 14,500 toys that were divvied out to over 3,000 kids in Alachua, Gilchrist, Dixie and Levy Counties.