Positives jump 121 in 1 week

Posted on January 8, 2021

Taylor County’s reported coronavirus (COVID-19) cases jumped by 121 over the past week, just as local seniors began receiving the first of two doses of the Moderna vaccine.

According to figures from the Florida Department of Health (DOH), Taylor County’s total number of reported cases had risen to 2,071 by Tuesday, Jan. 5 (the most recent day for which data is available).

Based on the county’s estimated total population of 21,569 people, nearly 10% of Taylor County residents have now tested positive for the virus since the first case was reported in April 2020.

To date, there have been 83 hospitalizations (4% of all cases) and 27 deaths (1% of all cases) in Taylor County.

COVID testing continues, with the local positive rate resting above 10% every day since Christmas Day. The state’s positive rate is now over 10% as well.

According to DOH’s statewide vaccine report, 176 people in Taylor County had received a COVID-19 vaccine by Jan. 5, which was the first day the Florida Department of Health in Taylor County (DOH-Taylor) held clinics for people 65 years old and older to receive the vaccine.

Due to the number of calls being received by DOH-Taylor, officials are encouraging people to register for the vaccine online at: https://tinyurl. com/ycsw4ep5. You can also call DOH-Taylor at 584-5087.

“We also encourage anyone who has an appointment to fill out the forms ahead of time and print them. All of these links can be found at http://taylor.floridahealth. gov/,” Health Department Public Information Officer Martine Young said.

Through Tuesday, 323,143 people in Florida had received the first dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, while 5,917 of those had also received their second dose.

The Moderna vaccine, which is the one being administered locally by DOH-Taylor, requires a second dose 28 days after the first.

The Pfizer vaccine requires a second dose 21 days after the first.

There have been more than 1.4 million reported cases of COVID-19 in Florida, resulting in 64,321 hospitalizations and 22,317 deaths.

Nationally, there have been 21.3 million cases and 361,000 deaths. Worldwide, there have been 87.3 million cases and 1.8 million deaths.

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