Manatee County Notices Uptick In COVID-19 Cases During Spring Break
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (CW44 News At 10) - Manatee County officials tell CW44 News they've noticed an uptick in COVID-19 cases. They're now asking for your help to get those numbers back down.
Manatee County has continued to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to vaccinations against the COVID-19 virus.
"We thank everyone for their patience in this process, said Chris Tittel, PIO, Florida Dept. of Health in Manatee County.
Thursday, officials took to social media after noticing a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases across the county hinting at spring breakers and visiting families.
See also: Manatee Co Bypasses Statewide Vaccination Registration System For Flexibility
"Regardless of whether it's just a regular day of the week or regular day of the weekend, if it's Spring Break, holiday or vacation that you're taking, all the prevention tips that we've been recommending for over a year now remain in place," he said.
In a follow-up tweet Friday, government officials began urging residents to enroll for the shot as soon as possible, announcing on Twitter that they've begun booking appointments for ages 40 plus for next week.
"Vax.mymanatee.org. You go there, it's got the paperwork you want to download, the forms you want to fill out. You can register there to be in the standby pool," said Tittel. "Every one of those shots that's given, we have to load that information into the Florida shots system. So, when you're talking 2,500 to 3,000 people going through a drive-thru every day, that's 2,500 to 3,000 pieces of paper that have to be loaded into a system."
More importantly, Tittel is reminding people that a vaccinated person is still capable of spreading to those who aren't.
"Everybody, everybody who's been vaccinated or signing up to be vaccinated, those prevention measures must remain in place! That's wearing face coverings in public, social distancing, that's 6-feet apart from others in public, that's washing your hands regularly and then wiping down high touch surfaces," he said.
In neighboring Sarasota County, officials extended the Emergency Order on Friday in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through April 2. The order also extends the city's temporary street closure program through April 30 to allow additional space for outdoor dining to help those impacted by the virus.
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