More than 211,000 Floridians have been vaccinated against the deadly COVID-19 virus, but in Lake County, those who want to be vaccinated will have to do so on a first-come, first-served basis.
The province set up a vaccination clinic at Lake-Sumter State College on Friday morning that quickly ran out of the required doses and closed around 12:00 p.m. The province originally made appointments for the much-coveted vaccines, but no longer does, according to a health department statement.
Those who have made appointments before can come to college on Saturday or to the Clermont Arts and Recreation Center at 3700 S. Hwy. 27, according to the Twitter news from the health department. The vaccination sites are scheduled to be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., subject to availability.
“Our goal in this first phase is to distribute every vaccine awarded to Lake County safely and quickly,” said Aaron Kissler, administrator of the Lake County Department of Health. “We realize that the first-and-first-earnings approach has its drawbacks, but it supports our primary goal of getting as many people immunized as possible.”
Due to the rapid payment of vaccines, Lake County is expected to receive a shipment of the Pfizer vaccines next week. County commissioners purchased an ultra-cold freezer in early December that will accommodate the storage of the vaccine, which should be kept at -60 to -80 degrees.
To date, more than 40,000 Marion County residents have registered for COVID-19 vaccinations. Health department staff were calling residents Friday to plan appointments for the coming week. Marion County residents who want to sign up for vaccinations can click HERE.
Drive-through COVID-19 tests will also take place over the next two weeks on a first-come, first-served basis in the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion in Ocala. The free trial is available on 5 and 6 January from 10:00 to 12:00, and again on 12 and 13 January.
No new information was available Friday about vaccinations in Sumter County. The province’s health department, which contains the vast majority of Villages homes, announced last Wednesday that it had received 2,500 doses of Modner vaccine – not nearly enough to vaccinate its more than 130,000 residents. Sumter County residents can call (352) 569-3102 from Monday, January 4 to book an appointment.
Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Health did not release its daily COVID-19 updates Friday due to the New Year’s Day holiday. The reports will return on Saturday, January 2, according to a tweet from the health department. The department also did not release reports on Thanksgiving or Christmas.
The lack of updated information comes on the day after Florida reported its biggest jump in the number of new COVID-19 cases since the pandemic hit the state for the first time last year. By all accounts, the Sunshine State reported 1,332,315 COVID-19 cases on Thursday – an increase of 17,192 from the previous day. Of these, 1,300,528 are listed as residents. A total of 64,835 cases were reported in long-term care centers and 27,337 in correctional facilities. Across the country, there were 21,990 deaths and 62,868 people were hospitalized.
On Thursday, the three-province area reported 38,443 cases – an increase of 840 over a 24-hour period. There were 878 deaths and 2,714 people were treated in hospitals in the area.
The Thursday outline of local provinces included the following:
SUMMER PLANT
- Business: 5,085 – increase of 134
- Deaths: 120
- Hospitalizations: 378
- Areas / cities with the most cases: The Villages (2 128), Coleman (732), Wildwood (682), Bushnell (556) and Oxford (286).
LAND OF THE MORE
- Business: 15,559 – increase of 358
- Deaths: 295
- Hospitalizations: 995
- Cities with the most cases: Clermont (4,140), Leesburg (2,483), Eustis (1,259), Mount Dora (1,202) and Tavares (1,169). The Villages reported 104 cases.
MARION COUNTY
- Business: 17 799 – increase of 348
- Deaths: 463
- Hospitalizations: 1,341
- Cities with the most business: Ocala (13,340), Summerfield (1,026), Dunnellon (770), Belleview (708) and Silver Springs (304). The Villages reported 58 cases.