JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Vaccinations have plateaued in Florida and the United States, but as COVID-19 cases rise, a local CEO of a healthcare company says she’s hearing people becoming less hesitant to get vaccinated. With that, CEO of Agape Family Health Care Mia Jones hopes vaccinations will increase.
That's what happened to Michelle Berry. She watched a live stream on Thursday on First Coast News of local health experts talking about the delta variant. By Saturday, she was vaccinated.
Before that, she was wavering on what to do.
“I couldn’t get through the noise," Berry said. "Too much talking heads. Too much politics. I didn’t feel like I had the right information to make a decision for myself.”
Berry says she needed to hear this from the experts. “It actually was clear and concise," she said. "It gave me great information and that actually pushed me over the edge to go ahead and get the shot for COVID.”
Jones says they’re seeing quadruple the number of people at their facility for COVID-19 testing. She says they're looking into expanding their COVID-19 testing sites, and she’s also hoping to send more people to their vaccination sites
“Now people are coming because they are trying to simply live their lives and they are afraid, concerned, and they recognize this is something they got to do," Jones said.
Vaccines are available through Wellness on Wheels, a partnership Agape created with Jacksonville Transit Authority, seven days a week at the Gateway bus stop at Gateway Town Center. Jones says they have all three vaccines available.
Doctors and epidemiologists explain the delta variant is more contagious and affecting younger and otherwise healthy people.
Jones is hoping this new wave may encourage people to get vaccinated.
“We recognize that life is too short. We want to make sure the quality of life that we have is one that can allow us to enjoy whatever time we have," Jones said.
If you test positive for COVID-19, the CDC says you should wait until you’ve fully recovered and are safe to come out of quarantine before you get the shot.
Vaccines are widely accessible at many pharmacies, inside grocery stores and at health department sites.