Volusia residents warned to be cautious about COVID-19 during holidays

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - Volusia County leaders are warning people to be cautious about coronavirus as we head into the Christmas holiday.

"We’re likely getting close to the finish line of this pandemic, but we’re not there yet and that means we all need to continue to keep our guard up right now," Volusia County spokesperson Kevin Captain said.

Volusia County said it’s had nearly 1,300 new coronavirus cases this week.

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"Many of these new cases are in households and some cases were people who attended and were infected at household gatherings for the Thanksgiving holiday," Holly Smith with the Florida Department of Health in Volusia County said. 

Right now, Pfizer vaccines are going to frontline healthcare workers and long term care facilities. Volusia County’s Operational Medical Director Dr. Peter Springer said the county is starting to plan for mass vaccinations. He said a possible site could be the Daytona International Speedway.

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"Even if you believe that you are not at risk for significant side effects from the virus, I urge you to consider getting vaccinated because there are elderly in our community," Dr. Springer said. "There are people who have comorbid conditions that really rely on the herd immunity portion of this vaccine."

Halifax Health says they’ve had about 20-30 COVID-19 patients at their hospital each week. A spokesperson said the hospital has space and plenty of protective equipment.

They expect to get doses of the Moderna vaccine next week.