8,607 new COVID-19 cases reported as Central Florida counties begin giving second doses of vaccine

ORLANDO, Fla. – In both Seminole and Orange counties on Monday, some residents who already received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will roll up their sleeves once again to receive the second dose.

There are 141 appointments Monday for the second dose of Moderna at the Orange County Convention Center along with more than 2,300 appointments for the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

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In Seminole County, leaders said around 200 people will return to the Oviedo Mall on Monday to get their second dose but administering shots down the line could become more complicated as the state struggles to secure the much-needed supply.

Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said the county is expecting to get 1,900 doses this week, which is half of what was sent last week.

“If they’re cut in half again, we’re really going to shut down operations. There’s nothing for us to do. We’ll continue the second doses, but the first doses we’re not going to be able to do because we continually get cut by the state on vaccine allotment,” Harris said.

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Harris reiterated those concerns on Monday, saying that he fears the county will run out of supply for the first dose before the weekend.

He said those who received the Pfizer vaccine and are due for the second shot will get theirs starting Saturday.

“This is going to boost their immunity up to 90-plus percent, 90-plus percent is better than the measles vaccine, it’s far better than the flu vaccine. Really a lot of hope here today as we help to really save lives,” Harris said.

The governor has also stressed the importance of Floridians receiving both shots rather than solely relying on the limited immunity offered with just one alone.

“Florida wants all seniors to receive booster shots at the appropriate time,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a statement earlier this month.

In other vaccine news, Merck is giving up on two potential COVID-19 vaccines following poor results in early-stage studies.

The drugmaker said Monday that it will focus instead on studying two possible treatments for the virus that also have yet to be approved by regulators. The company said its potential vaccines were well tolerated by patients, but they generated an inferior immune system response compared with other vaccines.

To find out if you’re eligible for a vaccine in Florida, click here.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: 9,400 new COVID-19 cases reported as Central Florida ramps up vaccination plans]

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on Jan. 25.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 8,607 new cases on Monday bringing the state’s overall total to 1,658,169 cases since the coronavirus pandemic began in March.

Deaths

Florida reported 156 new virus-related deaths Monday, raising the death toll to 25,849. This number includes the 403 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Monday afternoon, there were currently 6,898 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since March, 70,346 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 165 new patients who have been recently hospitalized due to the virus, according to the health department’s daily report released on Monday.

Positivity rate

The percent of positive results was 9.56% Sunday out of 90,048 tests reported to the state.

Health officials say the rate should remain between 5% and 10% to prove a community has a hold of the virus and is curbing infections.

Vaccinations

The Florida Department of Health recently began releasing a daily report on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

As of Monday, 1,565,383 people have been vaccinated in Florida. The FDOH also reports that 157,972 people have received their second shot.

The state was originally reporting how many people were overdue for their second vaccination but has since removed that data point.

[Register for the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida here]

See COVID-19 data for the Central Florida region below:

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