One day after the Centers for Disease Control announced those who are fully vaccinated don’t have to wear their masks outdoors or indoors, with exceptions, Jessica Rivera and her entire family were convinced to get vaccinated.
“The reason why I took it is because of the news,” Rivera said at the at Barnett Park vaccine site. “You know you don’t have to use the mask no more and I did it for my family too, that is why we are here, the four of us.”
All four in the SUV rolled down their windows and rolled up their sleeves showing off their Band-Aids post shot.
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“I got to do it, I got it do it,” Rivera recalled after watching the news last night.
An incentive of some sorts to get more people vaccinated, as data shows many counties in Central Florida are not yet at herd immunity.
| County | Population | Number vaccinated (1 or 2 doses) | Percentage vaccinated (1 or 2 doses) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevard | 606,795 | 256,828 | 42.3% |
| Flagler | 115,434 | 53,471 | 46.3% |
| Lake | 371,145 | 172,089 | 46.4% |
| Marion | 369,656 | 139,656 | 37.8% |
| Orange | 1,147,322 | 583,471 | 40% |
| Osceola | 399,278 | 148,961 | 37.3% |
| Polk | 716,426 | 256,211 | 35.8% |
| Seminole | 485,919 | 188,446 | 38.8% |
| Sumter | 139,281 | 84,526 | 60.7% |
| Volusia | 551,395 | 225,480 | 40.9% |
Based on population, Orange has the most people vaccinated (583,471) with Flagler the fewest (53,471). Based on percentage of population, Sumter County has the most residents vaccinated (60.7%) and Polk the fewest (35.8%).
In Seminole County, 44.9% of their residents have had at least one or more doses of the vaccine.
“COVID is not over,” said Steven Lerner, Senior Planner for the Seminole County Office of Emergency Management. “To only have 44% is extremely low, that tells us the majority of individuals have not been vaccinated.”
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Leaders hoping the new CDC guidelines can be an incentive for more families like Rivera’s as demand has died down for vaccines.
“There is a little bit of peer pressure,” Dr. Todd Husty, Seminole County’s Medical Director, said. “There is now a reward for getting vaccinated. I think that’s great. I think whatever convinces people to get the vaccine is good.”