​On December 18, County Mayor Dave Kerner provided an update at the Emergency Operations Center on local COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Joining him were Dr. Alina Alonso, director of the Florida Dept. of Health-Palm Beach County, Emergency Management Director Bill Johnson, Vice Mayor Robert Weinroth, Commissioners Mack Bernard, Gregg Weiss and Maria Sachs, and County Administrator Verdenia Baker.

Vaccines - Three priority operations have started or will start next week. The Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Health are overseeing or monitoring these operations.  County Administration and the Division of Emergency Management are monitoring through state sources the hospital and nursing home operations and are working closely with Dr. Alonso. This is a rapidly developing effort with new information coming each day from the state.

Priority groups – Receiving vaccinations first are those likely to be directly exposed to COVID-positive patients in the line of their day-to-day work and long-term care facilities. Next will be community distribution through pharmacies, public health clinics and existing COVID-19 testing collection sites, followed by delivery through routine health providers.

Availability - Most hospitals in Palm Beach County are on the list to receive the Moderna vaccine beginning next week. This vaccine is getting broader distribution than Pfizer’s because it does not require ultra-cold storage. The Moderna vaccine requires two shots, four weeks apart. The Florida Department of Health-Palm Beach County anticipates an initial delivery of 18,000 Moderna doses next week.
Public distribution to individuals throughout Palm Beach County – when additional supplies of the vaccine are available – will be done through traditional health care vaccination providers, drive-through sites, walk-up clinic sites, and mobile vehicles.  

COVID metrics – Palm Beach County’s daily lab positivity rate is 7.3%, about half the statewide rate of 14.53%. Palm Beach County reported 754 new COVID cases Thursday (Dec. 17). An average of 7,400 people per day are being tested in the county. ICU beds at local hospitals occupied by COVID patients range from 13 to 19 percent; overall bed space occupied by COVID patients is around 65 percent.

Masks - The countywide mask mandate has been extended to January 20. During the upcoming holiday weeks, please avoid the 3 Cs: crowded places; close contact; confined spaces

CARES Act - The Palm Beach County CARES Restart Business Grants Program has submitted for payment all eligible applicants resulting in a total of $78.457 million to 5,182 local businesses. This funding was made available for businesses affected by COVID-19 for expenses needed to keep the business operational including commercial lease or mortgage payments, inventory, salaries and PPE. The successful distribution of these funds could not have been accomplished without the assistance of numerous county departments, the Clerk & Comptroller’s and Tax Collector’s offices, and some of the county’s contracted small, minority, and women owned businesses.

The Palm Beach County CARES Mortgage Assistance Program has distributed a total of $11.3 million to 1,448 households in Palm Beach County. The remaining 134 eligible applications have been approved and are being submitted for payment. This will result in a total of 1,582 homeowners receiving assistance. This program assists income eligible households with mortgage and escrow payments (PITI), late fees, attorney’s fees, condominium and HOA payments, special assessments, and other mortgage-associated costs related to COVID-19. Administrator Baker said all CARES Act federal funding that was allotted to Palm Beach County will be expended before the December 30 deadline.