Marion County’s vaccinated nears 36,000, state passes 2 million

Robert Stetson of On Top of the World, right, gets the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination from Crystal Keele. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

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Posted February 8, 2021 | News Service of Florida

More than 2 million people in Florida have been vaccinated against COVID-19, with most aged 65 and older, according to numbers released Monday by the state Department of Health.

In Marion County, the number of people vaccinated was 35,773 as of Monday. Of those, 12,088 had completed the two-dose series of the vaccine and 27,349 of those vaccinated were 65 or older, according to the DOH.

The county DOH continues to work its way through the first 50,000 people 65 and older who registered to get the vaccine in December. The local health department closed registration while it works through the current list, which could take until March.

Florida topped 2 million people vaccinated on Sunday, with the total at 2,016,291. That included 1,322,426 people who had received first doses of vaccines and 693,865 who had completed two-dose series. With Gov. Ron DeSantis focused on vaccinating seniors, 1,481,132 of the people who had been vaccinated were ages 65 and older.

“A third or more of the seniors in Florida have gotten one shot,” DeSantis said Monday during an appearance in Miami. “Of all the vaccines that have been administered, we are close to 75% of all vaccines that have been administered have gone to senior citizens.”

But DeSantis’ critics say more needs to be done to prevent the spread of the virus. Speaking to reporters Monday, House Minority Co-leader Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach, pointed to large Super Bowl crowds across the Tampa Bay region over the weekend as a reason COVID-19 cases will likely jump during the next week.

“We’re going to get shots in arms, and we are going to be safe,” Jenne said. “But, simultaneously at the same time, we are really kind of cheerleading and acting as cheerleaders for these massive events that are only going to cause the virus to spread more.”

More than 1.78 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic started early last year, with 27,815 reported deaths of Florida residents.