More than 40% of Palm Beach County seniors now vaccinated against COVID-19

Image via AP.

More than 146,000 seniors have now been vaccinated against COVID-19 in Palm Beach County, representing more than 40% of the region’s senior population.

Palm Beach County has a large elderly population, making vaccine access a priority in the region.

“Florida continues to lead the nation in vaccinations of seniors, and in counties like Palm Beach, we have made great progress by working with Mayor [Dave] Kerner to vaccinate over 40% of their senior population,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said late Friday in a statement marking the milestone.

“Among larger counties, Palm Beach is leading for doses administered to senior citizens and has the highest percentage. The state’s partnership with Publix has been particularly successful in Palm Beach County, where nearly all seniors live within two miles of a Publix pharmacy. We have a thriving community of seniors in Palm Beach County and this progress means that they can have a great quality of life and help keep our economy and society functioning.”

Some lawmakers have criticized DeSantis for his approach in ensuring the vaccine is available for seniors of all races and income levels. The state’s decision to turn much of the shot distribution in Palm Beach County over to Publix exemplified that problem, in part. Local officials welcomed a partnership with Publix, but argued the county should have more control, as Publix locations aren’t easily accessible for more rural populations.

The state and local government recently worked to improve that effort by expanding the Palm Beach vaccine initiative into rural, majority-minority areas.

While the 40% marker represents progress on the effort, the state and nation still have a long way to go to reach herd immunity levels which are necessary for a fuller return to normalcy.

It’s unclear what percentage of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity. That total varies with different diseases, and health experts are still studying the novel coronavirus to arrive at a confident estimate. But many experts have theorized upwards of 60% of the population — and perhaps as high as 85% or more — will need to be immunized to reach that safe zone. And that total applies to the full population, not just seniors.

Still, elderly individuals are the most susceptible to the virus’s worst effects. And Palm Beach has been feeling those effects in recent weeks following a post-holiday surge. The county has seen an average of more than 20 newly-reported deaths a day over the last four days. The death toll averaged around 12 a day for the previous two weeks.

With infections dropping in Palm Beach and surrounding areas, increased vaccine access can help stop the virus from reaching those vulnerable populations going forward.

“I am very thankful to Gov. DeSantis and his administration for everything they are doing to ensure our senior citizens are prioritized to receive the vaccine,” Palm Beach County Mayor Kerner said Friday. “Publix, the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Division of Emergency Management have been great partners and we are very encouraged by these fantastic results.”