ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County leaders continue to encourage young adults to get the COVID-19 vaccine as they are making up a major part of new cases this year.
County leaders said adults between the ages of 18 and 25 continue to have high coronavirus positivity rates.
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Dr. Raul Pino with the Florida Department of Health said since Jan. 1, people ages 15-34 make up 44% of COVID-19 cases in the county.
In about 25% of these cases, people ages 15-34 tested positive for a COVID-19 variant.
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A Winter Park High School student, a University of Central Florida student, a Valencia College student and a Rollins College student received a Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine at an Orange County news conference on Thursday.
“This shows support for what we are trying to do in the community,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said.
Pino said the county officials may start distributing the vaccine at more locations to try and reach more young adults.
“Trying to find those pockets in those areas where we have lower vaccination rates,” Pino said.
The Florida Department of Health tracks coronavirus numbers by different age groups.
For people between the ages of 15 and 34 in Orange County, there have been 48,838 cases of COVID-19, 96 hospitalizations and one death since the pandemic arrived in Florida last March.
Health officials said as of Thursday about at least 51,000 people between the ages of 16-34 have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
This past Monday, anyone 18 and older became eligible for the vaccine in Florida.
Anyone interested in getting a vaccine at an Orange County location can make an appointment at this link.
Pino said one in four people in Orange County have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 76% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
The DOH said 127,153 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Orange County.
Health officials said 2,633 people have been hospitalized and 1,206 people have died from COVID-19 in the county.