ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Vaccination efforts that have now been underway since late last year are starting to reduce the number of new COVID-19 cases being reported among the local elderly population.
Dr. Raul Pino from the Florida Department of Health in Orange County said he’s “pleasantly surprised” to see cases dropping already. He pointed to a chart that showed more than 600 positive cases among those 65 and older during the first week of the year compared to about 200 cases in that same population during the sixth week of the year.
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“It clearly illustrates that as we increase the level of vaccination in that group age, then the number of cases are decreasing,” Pino said. “We also were able to establish correlations mathematically, analytical correlations, that they have some significance ... it’s too early in the process as we go but it’s starting to show a significant improvement in the infections among that age group of 65 years and older.”
As of Thursday, about 40% of Orange County’s elderly residents have been vaccinated and about 6.73% of the general population has also received shots.
Though the vaccination process is just beginning, Pino said he likes what he sees so far.
“I was pleasantly surprised that we can see it in the data this early, you know, we suspected it would happen based on the effectiveness of the vaccine even with the first dose it’s about 80%, a little bit over 80%,” Pino said.
The doctor encouraged anyone who is eligible to take the vaccine so that drop continues.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said he’s been in communication with federal government officials who have told him that they can expect to see an increase in the amount of supply they receive in coming weeks.
Pino said that can’t come soon enough as more cases of the more contagious U.K. variant pop up in Orange County, including a University of Central Florida student who tested positive.
Ten U.K. variant cases have been reported in Orange County already and Pino said that number could continue to grow if mitigation measures aren’t followed.
“If this variant spreads here the way that it is spreading around everywhere, in four months could be the dominant variant and it transmits very fast. And the more opportunities that we give to the virus to mutate, the more likely it is that it could become resistant to some of the vaccine, or at least decrease the effectiveness of some of the vaccines, so that’s why we are trying to move so fast in the vaccination,” Pino said.
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