COVID spikes in Palm Beach County after Christmas. Is the new vaccine effective?

Chris Persaud, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read
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An exponential increase of COVID-19 infections in Palm Beach County followed Christmas Day, the latest sewage data show, but the spread remains smaller than a year prior.

Coronavirus particle counts spiked by nearly 60% after Christmas in the Jupiter-area Loxahatchee River District's wastewater, the latest tests show.

The sewage had about 136 viral fragments per milligram of sewage on Dec. 29, the national WastewaterSCAN initiative found in samples the district sent. Seven days before, the rate was about 86 coronavirus particles per milligram.

During the last week of 2022, coronavirus levels rose from 150.5 particles per milligram on Dec. 23 to 282 per milligram on Dec. 30.

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What's the latest with the latest COVID vaccine?

COVID vaccinations across Palm Beach County and Florida slid throughout November and December. Just 1,979 county residents got a shot in during the week ending Dec. 22, the latest state Health Department data show. That's down from 3,990 during the week ending Nov. 24.

Immunizations in the latter half of 2023 slid more than 85% countywide and statewide since September, when the latest COVID vaccine came out.

About 16,000 people in Palm Beach County got vaccinated during the week ending Sept. 29, the most single-week immunizations last year.

Statewide, 26,181 people got immunized during week ending Dec. 22, down from more than 178,000 in the week ending Sept. 29.

Vaccines are available in pharmacies across Palm Beach County. Uninsured adults or adults whose insurance lacks COVID shots coverage can find vaccine providers online at vaccines.gov.

The latest COVID vaccine is expected to protect against the latest dominant viral variant, JN.1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in December. Blood analysis showed that JN.1. was "neutralized" in people who got the latest shots, the World Health Organization reported in December.

Chris Persaud is The Palm Beach Post's data reporter. Send tips to cpersaud@pbpost.com

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: COVID spikes in Palm Beach County post-Xmas. Should you vaccinate?