Manatee County Government: Manatee County To Host Drive Through Vaccination Event This Friday, 10 A.M. - 1 P.M. Outside Administration B ...

Press release from Manatee County Government:

06/23/2021

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (June 23, 2021) -- Manatee County will host an open drive-through vaccination event Friday, June 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the alleyway behind the County Administration Building for County Government employees who work in the Administration Building or any others downtown who want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Those who attend will be able to receive the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

Administrator Dr. Scott Hopes has confirmed that a sixth Manatee County employee recently tested positive for COVID-19.

None of the staff who have contracted the virus are known to have been in the Administration Building since June 14. Dr. Hopes said the sixth patient worked on the 7th floor of the Administration Building but the preliminary epidemiological timeline from contact tracing suggests it is an outlier case not connected to the original cluster of five. At this time all known cases have been limited to 7th floor of the County Administration Building.

Dr. Hopes provided the latest information to CNN's Erin Burnett Out Front Monday night. On the program, Dr. Hopes said he was informed yesterday afternoon that a sixth employee tested positive for COVID-19 late last week. Dr. Hopes is scheduled to speak with Burnett on CNN again tonight at 7:30 p.m., along with vaccinated employee Juan Palacio.

"Patient zero was one of the original group of six, five of whom had contact, and all became infected with exception of one young man who was vaccinated," Dr. Hopes said. "Individuals who had contact with the vaccinated individual have tested negative. Of these five infected cases, the majority were severely ill to the point of hospitalization or death. The clinical presentation gives me concern that we're dealing with a very infectious variant that is quite deadly."

Dr. Hopes is implementing the following protocols for the next two weeks:

"Becoming fully vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself, your friends, families and coworkers against the COVID-19 virus," Hopes said. "For that reason, I have asked our Public Safety team to host additional vaccine opportunities for all employees and their families or others who wish to be vaccinated. We will offer a drive-through vaccination event on Friday, June 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the alleyway of the Admin Building. Public Safety will offer a one-dose Johnson and Johnson. No advance registration is required."

This press release was produced by Manatee County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.