Tracie Davis says vaccine has kept her COVID-19 symptoms in check

Tracie Davis. Image via Colin Hackley.

Duval County is an epicenter for the delta variant of COVID-19, and the disease has sidelined a state legislator.

Rep. Tracie Davis confirmed Thursday that she had a case of coronavirus, despite having been vaccinated. But she says the shot spared her serious consequences.

“I am vaccinated but started feeling COVID like symptoms on Sunday,” Davis asserted. “My first test was negative. I had a second test done on Tuesday and the results came back today; I tested positive for COVID-19.”

“I experienced a severe headache, body pain, and now bouts of weakness..the vaccination worked as it should… it mitigated my symptoms allowing me to feel better within two days vs. being hospitalized or worse,” Davis added.

The news comes a day after Attorney General Ashley Moody revealed her own breakthrough case of the virus.

Davis is not the only member of the Duval Delegation to deal with the virus. Rep. Angie Nixon, a Jacksonville Democrat who capsized Kim Daniels in Northwest Jacksonville’s House District 14, also contracted the virus over the summer. She has since recovered as well.

Davis has represented House District 13 since her election in 2016. She is expected to run for state Senate in 2022, with Sen. Audrey Gibson subject to term limits.

Davis is not the only Jacksonville legislator still dealing with COVID-19. A member of the City Council is also.

Democrat Ju’Coby Pittman is “doing better,” said Council President Sam Newby this week. But details are vague about whether she is still hospitalized with the virus at this writing. The District 8 council member had been hospitalized in the past.

As the virus rages, local policymakers have pleaded for people to get vaccinated. The Jacksonville area sees fewer vaccinations and a higher percentage of cases than any other major metro in the state. At last count, one in five tests were positive.