DeFUNIAK SPRINGS The Walton County Sheriff s Office is continuing to investigate a Jan. 10 shooting that left its victim paralyzed from the chest down and has investigators still wondering about any possible motive.
A hunt remains under way for the person or persons who shot Juana Arano, who lives in DeFuniak Springs with her husband and two children, as she was driving down U.S. Highway 90 on the night of Jan. 10.
In the hours after the shooting, Arano told Sheriff s Office investigators the shots came from a vehicle that initially was following closely behind her in the vicinity of Fairfield Drive. The gunfire began as the vehicle described by Arano as a dark-colored sedan, possibly with four doors pulled around and passed her.
“I’m very hopeful. I’m very excited,” Cooke said after receiving the vaccine. “I feel like we’re getting to take some steps towards normalcy.”
Fifty people were immunized in just the first two hours Wednesday, but Dr. Robert Kiskaddon, chief medical officer at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, said vaccinating all the medical staff and employees will take some time.
“We have estimated about 1,500 people will require the vaccine,” Kiskaddon said. “The process will take probably about a month to get everybody vaccinated.”
Kiskaddon said hospital officials are prioritizing people who deal directly with COVID-19 patients.
“Everybody wants it done in a day, but it is a longer process,” he said. “There is a limited supply of vaccine at this point. We have to make sure the right people are getting it at the right time so that we can be more effective in the way we immunize our population.”
FORT WALTON BEACH Frontline medical workers at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center and Twin Cities Hospital in Niceville are queuing up to receive Moderna s COVID-19 vaccine. The opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccine is now a reality, Mitch Mongell, the CEO at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, said in a news release.
The hospitals were on a list of 181 Florida medical facilities slated to receive a first shipment of the Moderna vaccine. Both announced Tuesday that the first doses had arrived and plans have been made to securely store and safely administer injections.
“The arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine is a pivotal turning point in our fight against this virus. The progress that has been made in these past few months is astounding. We are grateful to be able to provide this added protection to our care team members who have been an immense source of strength and support for our communities,” Mongell said.
Notes from Public Safety & FL DOH. Of the 2 reported deaths, 1 occurred in late November & 1 in very early December. pic.twitter.com/N6eSwK6Qwx
As one of the two new faces on the board, Mixon said commissioners took appropriate steps to mitigate the spread of the virus without heading into the “dangerous territory to our freedoms as Americans.”
“At some point, people must use individual responsibility to help prevent the spread and this includes business owners enforcing their own policies with employees and patrons,” he said.
Mixon said he’s had a personal connection to the virus as people he loves have survived it, some have even died. But he says he’s not living in fear and instead leans on his faith.