JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville business leaders and hospitals are launching a new public relations campaign urging people to "get the facts Jax" about the COVID-19 vaccine so the city can finally "get back to being Jax."
The Jacksonville Civic Council is spearheading the campaign that Civic Council Chairman John Delaney said ties directly into whether the city will win or lose a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to build on an influx of newcomers moving here and greater awareness of Jacksonville.
"Jacksonville cannot and will not capitalize on this opportunity without higher COVID-19 vaccination rates," he said.
The Florida Department of Health has been running advertisements promoting vaccines, but the upcoming ad campaign by the Civic Council will make a direct appeal to Jacksonville residents using familiar scenes of everyday life from sports venues to the beach.
Civic Council President Jeanne Miller said the recent surge in COVID-19 cases is alarming and prompted the organization to move faster on rolling out the campaign "because the health and future of our community are both on the line."
During the global pandemic, Jacksonville emerged as a top city for people making moves to different cities. A LinkedIn report in March put Jacksonville second behind Salt Lake City in the largest gain of people arriving versus people leaving.
The summertime surge in COVID-19 infections has landed Jacksonville in a less favorable light.
The latest weekly report from the Florida Department of Health shows that 50 percent of Duval County residents 12 and older had been vaccinated through last Thursday, compared to 60 percent statewide.
Duval County recorded 6,430 positive tests for the virus from July 16-22, which was about 642 cases per 100,000 residents, the second highest proportion for any Florida county, exceeded only by neighboring Baker County.
The vaccination is not a guaranteed defense against getting the viral infection, but even if a person does get the virus, the vaccine can keep it from turning into a serious illness that requires hospitalization and becomes fatal, according to hospital executives and the federal Centers for Disease Control.
Jacksonville healthcare executives point to what they've seen in their own hospitals where more than 90 percent of patients were not fully vaccinated when they got the infection and became seriously ill.
"The vaccine is safe, it's effective, and the more you know, the more confident you will feel in your decision," the script for a radio ad says. "So get the facts about the vax."
The ads, which Dalton Agency created, refer listeners and viewers to the GetTheFactsJax.org website for information about the vaccines.
The worsening case numbers have motivated more people to get the shots with 9,613 Duval County residents joining the vaccinated category in the most recent one-week tally, almost double the 5,092 people the previous week.
Mayor Lenny Curry relayed a pro-vaccine message when he was joined by hospital executives in a July 21 media briefing, and he has continued to promote vaccinations in tweets for his 30,000 followers.
The Civic Council is seeking to broaden the reach and frequency of that message with financial backing of the organization, businesses in its membership, and local healthcare institutions Ascension St. Vincent's, Baptist Health, Brooks Rehabilitation, Flagler Health, Florida Blue, Memorial Hospital and UF Health Jacksonville.
Click here to read more from the Florida Times-Union.
Watch the "Get the Facts Jax" PSA below.
