Local health care leaders shared at a telephone town hall Monday evening that while COVID-19 vaccine supplies are “getting tight,” Alachua County is making good progress distributing its supplies.
As of Monday, more than 27,000 people here have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, including more than 12,000 who are 65 or older.
Paul Myers, administrator for the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County, said the county averages about 850 vaccinations per day and vaccinated more than 15,000 residents within the first three weeks of availability.
“And that’s just the start,” Myers said. “We plan on having that number doubled or tripled, as soon as we get the capacity and the doses.”
UF’s COVID-19 testing efforts have been steady during the first week-and-a-half of classes. For the last 7 days or the last week, positivity rates have hovered around a 2% average.
Alachua County leaders outline COVID-19 vaccination plan
Gainesville City Commission approves plan for distributing vaccine at first meeting of the year January 9, 2021 | 7:32pm EST
Mike Foley, UF journalism professor, receives his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 5, 2021. Photo by Chasity Maynard | The Independent Florida Alligator
Gainesville is still a month or two away from having the COVID-19 vaccine becoming widely available, but city leaders are starting to make plans for when it is.
The Gainesville City Commission voted unanimously Thursday to pass a four-part plan that will help the Alachua County Health Department mass administer the COVID-19 vaccination.
COVID vaccine availability in Alachua County: What you need to know
Staff report
As COVID-19 vaccinations through the Alachua County office of the Florida Department of Heath and local hospitals continue, the rollout for seniors and others in the general population is broadening.
Local health care leaders say COVID-19 vaccine supplies are “getting tight,” but Alachua County is making good progress distributing its supplies. While winter weather has delayed some shipments of the vaccine, they re still coming.
As of March 22, more than 65,000 people here had received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and more than 46,000 of them had completed the series with their second dose.
Gainesville’s biggest news stories of 2020
From the coronavirus pandemic to social justice protests, events of national interest trickled down into Alachua County.
And beyond that, the area experienced some of its own unique challenges and changes. But there was still some good to come out of it all, even if it came in unexpected ways.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest news stories covered by The Gainesville Sun this past year.
Pandemic perseverance
Since mid-March, an unseeable predator essentially ruled over our daily lives. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way local government boards meet, how we greet each other in public and claimed the lives of at least 128 local residents.