About five months after shots began, half of Flagler County’s entire population of 115,000 has received at least one covid-19 vaccine shot so far. But Only 31 percent of those younger than 65 have received a vaccine.
If the 15,000 or so people who are younger than 15 are excluded, the proportion with vaccines in those between 15 and 65 rises to 38 percent in Flagler–still less than half the proportion considered in the range of herd or community immunity. (Only 171 Flagler County residents 14 and younger have been vaccinated). Among those 65 and over, 85 percent have received at least one shot, well above that proportion.
Significantly more women than men have received vaccines in Flagler–31,275 women as opposed to 25,201 men (310 people were listed as “unknown”).
Statewide, more than 10 million people have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to a report released Sunday by the state Department of Health.
The report showed that 7,965,477 people who had received shots — or nearly 80 percent of the 10,005,987 total — were considered fully vaccinated, as they had received two doses of vaccines produced by the drug companies Pfizer or Moderna or the one-dose vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson.
While vaccinations have helped restore more of a sense of normalcy, the Department of Health numbers and other data also reflect that many of Florida’s nearly 22 million residents, as in Flagler, have not received shots.
Data tracked by Johns Hopkins University indicated that Florida trailed 30 other states and the District of Columbia in the percentage of its population that is fully vaccinated, though underlying numbers posted online by Johns Hopkins differ from those in Sunday’s Department of Health report.
Florida began vaccinating people in mid-December, seven months after Covid-19 crashed into the state, causing illnesses and deaths and crippling the economy. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who banked heavily on vaccinations to help curb the virus, appeared at Tampa General Hospital on Dec. 14 as health-care workers were among the first to get inoculations.
“This is a game-changer,” DeSantis said at the time. “It’s a great day for the United States, it’s a great day for the state of Florida.”
DeSantis focused heavily on vaccinating seniors, who are particularly vulnerable to Covid-19. The Department of Health report Sunday reflected that emphasis. For example, 21.6 percent of the people who had received at least one dose were ages 65 to 74. Nearly 23.3 percent of the people who were fully vaccinated were in that age group.
The data also show that women have been more likely than men to get vaccinated: About 55 percent of the people who were fully vaccinated were women. Most people have received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, with 743,001 receiving the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to the Department of Health.
While DeSantis focused late last year and early this year on vaccinations as a key to combating Covid-19, he and other Republicans this spring have refused to allow what have become known as vaccine “passports” — a concept in which businesses, schools or other entities could require people to show proof of vaccination to gain entry.
Overall, Florida has reported 2,310,335 cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic started, with 36,474 resident deaths, according to the Department of Health. Another 733 non-residents have died of the virus in the state.
In Flagler, 110 people have died of the disease (the health department last month had recorded 111, but lowered that number by one person since). No Flagler resident has died of the disease in about a month. Just 51 people were confirmed positive for Covid in the past seven days in Flagler, the lowest weekly tally since before last summer.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control reports 578,555 coronavirus-related deaths so far. However, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington released estimates that Covid had killed 912,345 people in the U.S. as of May 6, or 60 percent higher than the CDC figure.
“The number of excess deaths in the U.S., while larger than the number of deaths attributed to Covid-19, may also be an undercount of the true number of Covid-19 deaths,” rofessor of statistics and a senior associate dean at Virginia Tech, writes in The Conversation. “It is also consistent with a World Health Organization analysis that concludes the number of COVID-19 deaths in some countries could be two to three times greater than the number recorded. But no single study offers definitive proof, just one more piece of evidence on the path to better understanding the deadly impact of this pandemic.”
–FlaglerLive and News Service of Florida
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James M. Mejuto says
Well, Palm Coast! . . . We have to wonder why our vaccine numbers are so pathetic
after months of vaccinations.
Private businesses expect us to shop when an atmosphere of uncertainty exists.
Maybe businesses have to require patrons to prove vaccinations!
James M. Mejuto
Agkistrodon says
If you are vaccinated you are safe. Why are you so concerned with others? Do you take cigarettes from the hands of smokers? Do you make sure those with stds are practicing safe sex? Worry about yourself, let others worry about themselves.
Fredrick says
Great idea. Let’s have them wear a star on their clothing as an indication that they HAVE NOT been vaccinated.
Gemma says
Are you kidding me !!!
Ware a star , what are we in Nazi Germany ? I’ve never seen people so brainwashed by the media , that they are pushing their ideas on others . This virus aka flu has a 98% survival rate . But that vaccine you’re putting in your body is questionable. But we live in a FREE AMERICA !!! Take it or don’t it is YOUR CHOICE!!!!! Stop shaming ppl whom choose not to .
Dr. Feelgood says
Once again what is blatently missing from these herd immunity calculations are the easily 30% or more who contracted the virus at some point and who have developed the natural antibodies.
We seem to be steering towards this sort of reverse discrimination of those that choose to not inject their bodies with a vaccine when they’re already naturally immune.
When you collectively account for those vaccinated along with those that have been infected, we ARE at the ideal herd immunity goal. Lets drop all of the hate and judgement and move on in America and focus our efforts on helping the rest of the world so they can move on.
FlaglerLive says
Flagler County has tallied 7,345 confirmed cases of covid, or 6.4 percent. Even if the true rate is triple that, it’s still just over 19 percent. But that 19 percent is not necessarily exclusive of those who have been vaccinated. The Health Department does not release figures of those vaccinated who have had covid. So adding the percentage of those vaccinated to those who have had covid is a misleading way to estimate herd immunity, even if, had the necessary figures been verifiable, it would not be an insignificant number.
Trailer Bob says
Good news, but it still isn’t over yet. I don’t mind keeping a couple yards of distance, as I always feel more comfortable staying about that same distance from people I do not know…even some I do know.
So there is good news, but I am afraid that it will take longer to recover from the changes that were required in our lives since the COVID began since they have been embedded into our lives and minds.
It will take time to really look at it as a thing of the past.
Steve says
“Embedded in your Life and Minds”? I thought it was just a Flu and done for “Financial Gain for Some People”. Whats next C19 contrived to Win an Election just sayin
Peaches McGee says
Vaccine hesitancy is a real issue affecting us all.
We’ll all be dead by Christmas.
Fredrick says
Love it… keep pushing the fear and hysteria… it sells. Maybe you can get rid of all the adds that now litter Flagler Live with all the new sheep that log in…. and please remember that I continue to send my yearly donation. Maybe I should be able to view without adds??
Steve says
Fear and hysteria by whom the GQP Party lmao. Never seen so many One way People concentrated in one tiny pond amazing
Concerned Citizen says
You made it to hard to get vaccinated by not being adaquetly prepared.
I’m an early 50’s male in relatively good health. But I have worked in essential industries during the whole pandemic. And was given the unpleasant choice of working thru it and hoping for the best. Or “stay home and stay safe” and hope for unemployment. Because I have a work ethic and also have bills to pay I had to work.
You then rolled out an untried vaccine in strict stages. And now by the time it’s widely available you’re surprised some folks are saying no thanks?
I see us now moving from a culture that bullied and shamed folks over masks to moving onto shot or not? And quite frankly it’s none of your busniess. This whole pandemic has created a culture of agressivness on personal issues that never needed to exist. And showed that our society has a severe lack of solidarity.
Steve says
Ilike to side with those who have a Thought Process
Stretchem says
A computer programmer from the 70’s says we should not get the monkey shot because the government received kickbacks. Okay! Good enough for me!