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On March 17, County Mayor Dave Kerner gave an update at the Emergency Operations Center on local COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Joining him were Dr. Alina Alonso, director of the Florida Department of Health-Palm Beach County, Commissioners Mack Bernard, Maria Marino and Maria Sachs, County Administrator Verdenia Baker and Fire Rescue Chief Reginald Duren. March 17 marks one year and one day of Level 2 activation at the EOC.

Vaccinations – Palm Beach County has been a statewide leader in distributing vaccinations. Through March 15, a total of 348,293 Palm Beach County residents have received at least one vaccination; 74% of them are age 65 or older. A total of 232,171 county residents have been fully vaccinated. “The bottom line is we have a very robust system of vaccination through our state and federal partners and our county partners," said Mayor Kerner.

Cumulative Vaccination map – The mayor presented a color-coded county map displaying vaccination rates by ZIP code. Some areas show more than 85% of persons age 65+ have been vaccinated. Nowhere in the county is the vaccination rate lower than 25%. The map will be interactive on the county's main website, pbcgov.com, beginning Thursday.

Variant - Dr. Alonso cautioned against letting our guard down and possibly allowing a fourth wave. “It's important that even if you get vaccinated, that you continue to wear your mask in public," Dr. Alonso said. She noted Florida currently has 850 different variants of COVID-19, the most of any state. Statewide, 5 people with the variant have died. All were hospitalized and none had any travel history. Three variants of COVID-19 are present in Palm Beach County with 75 active variant cases. 

Homebound - The Florida Division of Emergency Management has announced a program to administer vaccinations for homebound seniors. To book an appointment, email HomeboundVaccine@em.myflorida.com. At this time, no phone calls for appointments are being accepted.

Masks - The mandatory facial covering order in Palm Beach County is being extended to mid-April. Mayor Kerner said there has been very good compliance by area businesses and establishments, but due to the influx of spring visitors and the presence of COVID-19 variants that spread more quickly, it is important to continue taking precautions.

CECT - The COVID Education and Compliance Taskforce continues visiting businesses and establishments to ensure patrons are following the county's mask mandate and other safety guidelines.