DAYTONA BEACH Sherry Jarrell has been a nurse for nearly 40 years, but she has never before experienced the stresses, challenges and emotional tolls that have become a daily reality since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March.
“This is the busiest I have ever been in my career,” said Jarrell, 60, the employee health clinic coordinator at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.
In that role, Jarrell supervises a four-member team that manages care for the members of Halifax Health’s workforce who have tested positive for the virus.
On Wednesday, Halifax Health received the first doses of coronavirus vaccine for hospital employees. It s a milestone that gives Jarrell a welcome sense of hope on Christmas Day.
DAYTONA BEACH His arms laden with three big Victoria’s Secret bags, Antonio Taddeo was among the early-birds on Saturday at Volusia Mall, where shoppers were hitting the stores on the final big weekend before Christmas Day.
Like many of them, Taddeo, 44, was balancing the necessity of adhering to health guidelines related to the coronavirus pandemic with the desire to keep his holiday shopping traditions.
“I don’t want to go near anything,” Taddeo said of his concern about the virus. “I do most of my shopping online, but it’s Christmastime and there’s something about going out and getting stuff.”