City of Naples tests new phone system for COVID-19 vaccine appointment scheduling
Published: March 2, 2021 5:00 PM EST
Updated: March 2, 2021 7:02 PM EST
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In an effort to keep the COVID-19 vaccine local, the City of Naples has launched a new phone system. On Tuesday, they put it to the test to schedule 500 vaccine appointments.
Bob Plemmons spent his morning on the phone trying to get an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine through The City of Naples.
“I called every 30 seconds. I got a busy signal every time and after that, I said ‘the heck with it, ” Plemmons said.
Rose Marie Davidson tried too. She wanted to get an appointment for her husband but, like Plemmons, she got a busy signal.
First responders received a little pick-me-up from an anonymous donor thanking them for their vaccination efforts.
A meal donation to City of Naples Fire Department was a small act of kindness that meant a lot to the firefighters on the receiving end.
“We got a call around 1 o’clock from a customer we don’t know,” said Danny Penzo, the general manager of Grappino. “He loves our pizza and he just received a COVID-19 vaccine from the fire department, and he would love to bring 10 of our pizzas and thank them for what they do.”
The generosity of the community member hit Penzo close to home.
Art Festival at Mercato begins this weekend
Published: January 29, 2021 7:50 PM EST
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Events are beginning to return to Florida, with several happening this weekend. One of those being Art Festival at Mercato in North Naples.
The pandemic has really hurt the artist community but dozens will get to showcase their work this weekend. It’s providing relief for many.
Richard Sullivan is the Director of Art Festival at Mercato.
“We were one of the last shows last march in the entire country that we did in Bonita then the following week every art festival in the country was canceled up until August,” said Sullivan.
Getting COVID-19 vaccine is personal for SWFL fire chiefs
Published: December 23, 2020 11:01 PM EST
Updated: December 24, 2020 7:13 AM EST
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First responders in Southwest Florida are beginning to get protection from the coronavirus. Getting the vaccine is personal for many first responders in the region.
Naples Fire Chief Pete DiMaria says he plans to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as he can, especially after Naples Firefighter Tony Christenson died of COVID-19 in August.
“We want to get to a point where we don’t have to worry about losing anymore loved ones or our brothers and sisters in the fire service,” DiMaria said. “But, really, you don’t want to lose anymore members of our community as well.”
As of Friday, Collier County had just over 20,000 confirmed cases and 317 deaths related to COVID-19, according to data from the Florida Department of Health. Hospitalization and death percentages were closely in line with overall state data at 6% and 2% respectively.
So far in December, Collier County has added 3,214 new COVID-19 cases, more than the total for all of November (3,170). It s also the second-highest monthly case total for Collier since the pandemic began, trailing only the 5,356 reported during July.
DOH collects city-specific data, too, with about 16,500 COVID-19 cases reported in Naples. That data is collected by ZIP code and those boundaries may extend beyond city limits.