OCALA, Fla.—Marion County is reporting 13,462 cumulative cases of COVID-19 as of this afternoon. This is an increase of 182 cases from yesterday (Dec. 2). Of Marion COVID-19 tests from Dec. 2, 11.3% were positive. The daily positivity rate for all new COVID-19 tests in Florida on Dec. 2 was 8.2%.

Marion’s cases and daily positivity rates are climbing from where they were in September and October. From COVID-19 cases reported over the past 7 days (Nov. 27 to Dec.3), Marion saw an average of:

• 102.4 new cases reported per day
• 9.8% daily positivity rate
• 1 COVID-19 related death reported per day

From Nov. 1 to Nov. 30, Marion saw an average of:

• 70.6 new cases reported per day
• 7.9% daily positivity rate
• 1 COVID-19 related death reported per day

From cases reported Oct. 1 to Oct. 31, Marion saw an average of:

• 37.2 new cases reported per day
• 4.6% daily positivity rate
• 1.9 COVID-19 related deaths reported per day

CDC announces COVID-19 vaccination phases

On Tuesday, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) announced interim guidance for allocation of initial supplies of COVID-19 vaccine. ACIP is a committee within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that provides advice and guidance on effective control of vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S. ACIP recommended that health care personnel and long-term care facility residents receive the first available doses of COVID-19 vaccine during Phase 1 of the three-phase vaccination strategy. The committee broke the Phase 1 strategy into three steps:

• Phase 1a: Health care personnel (for example, hospitals, long-term care facilities, outpatient clinics, home health care, pharmacies, emergency medical services, and public health) and long-term care facility residents (such as skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and other residential care)
• Phase 1b: Essential workers (for example, the education sector, food and agriculture, utilities, police, firefighters, corrections officers, and transportation)
• Phase1c: Adults with high-risk medical conditions and adults ages 65 and older.

You can find out more about ACIP and the COVID-19 vaccination recommendations, including presentations from the Dec. 1 announcement, at cdc.gov/vaccines/acip.

The Department of Health in Marion County is coordinating with Marion County Emergency Management, local hospitals, and local, state and federal government agencies on plans for how vaccinations would be distributed throughout the community once available in our region.