- January 30, 2025
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A total of 91,259 Volusia County residents have been vaccinated as on Monday, March 8, state data shows, and Volusia County expects that number to increase rapidly next month.
At a meeting of the Roundtable of Volusia County Elected officials, Public Protection Director Joe Pozzo said updates regarding vaccinations come frequently from the state, and that the county was told it would be "swimming in vaccines" in April.
“Whatever that means, OK?" Pozzo said. "I do know that Merck has partnered with [Johnson and Johnson] to produce the [Johnson and Johnson] vaccine, so I believe that has something to do with it.”
Currently, Volusia County is receiving a weekly shipment of 4,000 first-doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. At the Volusia County Fairgrounds site in DeLand, 26,529 people have been vaccinated. Depending on the availability of doses in April, the fairgrounds could possibly be turned into a drive-through vaccination site, Pozzo said.
“We know we can service more people through a drive-thru, but we really want to test the waters on that and see what happens and then we will make our adjustments as we go," he said.
Additionally, the county is also reporting an issue with individuals foregoing their second dose. Only about 85% of people who receive the first dose also attend their second-dose appointment, Pozzo said. He asked elected officials to broadcast a message about the importance of receiving both doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine to their constituents.
The Johnson and Johnson vaccine requires a single dose.
On March 7, the state reported 108 new cases of COVID-19 in Volusia County, with only 14 individuals over the age of 65. Volusia County Health Department Administrator Patricia Boswell sad that speaks highly of the vaccine's impact, though said it was alarming that the most cases, 25, were reported in the 15-24 age bracket.
“As far as the trend goes, I think we’re hitting a plateau," Boswell said.
Since mid-February, following a holiday surge that saw 500 cases reported in a single day, Boswell said Volusia's cases began to trend downward. The new cases counts have hovered in the 100s since late February, and the 14-day positivity rate is 5.47%. Less people are also being tested, she added, with the state-operated New Smyrna Beach testing site seeing about 600 people a day.
Hospitalizations have also decreased, with 11 people on a ventilator, 25 in an intensive care unit, 61 total hospitalizations and 10 admissions as of Sunday, March 7.
