We get an update on Florida's vaccination efforts from WUSF and Health News Florida reporter Stephanie Colombini. You'll also hear from an expert who's working on vaccine education amid the decreasing number of people getting their shots.
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The Biden administration has set a national goal that 70% of adults receive at least one dose by the Fourth of July.
On Florida Matters, we get an update on Florida s vaccination efforts. We ll also hear from an expert who s working on vaccine education amid the decreasing number of people getting their shots.
More than 7 million Floridians are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That’s about 33% of the population.
The Biden administration has set a national goal that 70% of adults receive at least one dose by the Fourth of July.
For some folks, getting a shot is as easy as walking into the nearest Publix or CVS. But vaccination rates are lower in communities of color, where hesitancy and misinformation persist.
Getting her first dose of the coronavirus vaccine meant a lot to Lelia Clark, 77. She is one of the 55,916 Black people who have been vaccinated in Florida as of Wednesday, compared to 710, 885 white people.
Lelia Clark, 77, sat smiling in her car on a recent morning at the Strawberry Festival Fairgrounds in Plant City.
Clark, a resident of the nearby historic African-American neighborhood Bealsville, had just received her first dose of a coronavirus vaccine at the drive-through site run by Hillsborough County.
She had arrived an hour ahead of her appointment to try to get farther up in the line of hundreds of people eagerly waiting for their shots, and was parked in the monitoring area where people linger to make sure they respond to the vaccine smoothly.
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During a virtual town hall, titled “The Black and Brown Race and COVID-19 Vaccine,” hosted by the Sarasota NAACP, local doctors talked of their own experiences with the vaccine and particular risks of COVID-19 complications faced in their communities.
Until a vaccine can be more widely distributed, doctors are urging people to keep wearing masks and social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The main distribution point for coronavirus vaccine delivery in Sarasota County has depleted its supply and does not know when it will receive more, a health official said Sunday. When we left the office on Friday, we were down to zero and waiting to receive more, said Sarasota County Department of Health officer Chuck Henry, during an online town hall to discuss concerns about coronavirus in Black and Hispanic communities.