- October 27, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
A total of 44.67% of Flagler County's population has been vaccinated for COVID-19, including 79% of those over 65.
What the coming months look like in terms of COVID-19 safety measures will depend on vaccination trends, Florida Department of Health-Flagler Medical Director Dr. Stephen Bickel said on Flagler Broadcasting's "Free For All Friday" radio program April 30.
"We’re looking at how things might change in the future, and we’re presuming that we’re not going to get to a super-high level of vaccinations," Bickel said. "If we do, COVID is going to really be in the rear-view mirror. Otherwise, it’s going to kind of be this lingering gray zone: Do we wear masks or not? Can we be indoors or not?"
Bickel urged people to think about the social impacts of vaccination as well as the immediate medical ones.
"We are really serious about this goal of being the number one county in terms of vaccination rate in the state — we think it’s very achievable, and there are significant benefits from that," he said.
Flagler County has a dozen vaccination sites (see sidebar at left) available for people this week at locations around the community, said Gretchen Smith, communications manager for the Florida Department of Health in Flagler County.
“Our first week of getting out in the community and offering vaccinations without appointments was very successful,” Florida Department of Health-Flagler Health Officer Bob Snyder said, according to a Florida Department of Health-Flagler news release. “We went to businesses like Finn’s and Tortuga’s in Flagler Beach, continued our partnerships with Parkview Church and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, and operated a drive-through after-hours site two nights off Airport Road.
"Next week, we are adding new sites like the Palm Coast Community Center, AdventHealth Palm Coast and the Coquina Coast Brewing Company. This is all part of our plan to bring vaccinations to closer to where people live and work so we can reach community immunity as soon as possible.”
