OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Osceola County reports an increase in people seeking boosters as the omicron variant continues to spreads.
The combination of the delta and omicron variant of COVID-19 coupled with the time to get a booster is what Jeremy Lanier with the Florida Department of Health in Osceola County said is driving the uptick.
“Before the variant was announced, we were seeing 20 to 25 people a day coming to our health department, calling to schedule appointments, or coming in as walk-ins. After the variant was announced it doubled, we were seeing anywhere from 40-50 people a day,” Lanier said.
Osceola County leads in vaccinations across Central Florida at 77% followed by Sumter County and Orange County.
“We’re in a really good spot, we have seen a reduction in our percent positivity in tandem with our high vaccination rate, it certainly bodes well with our county,” he said.
“When the new variant was announced we saw a significant increase in requests for booster doses as well as an increase in requests for first and second doses.”
With concerns about the newly-detected omicron variant, health experts urge people to protect themselves in case it becomes widely prevalent in the community.
“Now with this new variant news of the new variant and rekindled concern, there is interest in getting that new booster..”
The Department of Health in Osceola County has both the Pfizer and Moderna boosters available for those 18 years and older Tuesday through Thursday.