Weekly COVID Update 10/8: Cases continue to decrease statewide

Vaccination rates are slightly up in Palm Beach County and the state.

Michael Gennaro, Social Media Manager

FAU

Campus cases continue to fall, with 11 cases reported across all FAU campuses as of Oct. 7. Nine of the cases are students, and two are employees. Since Oct. 1, eight cumulative cases have been added, bringing the total for the Fall 2021 semester to 437. There is still a discrepancy between active and cumulative cases. The reason is unknown at the time of publishing.

The $150 vaccine incentive is still active through Oct. 31. Students that get fully vaccinated will receive a $150 Visa gift card. University officials say the program is doing better than they expected.

There is no consensus among professors about the university’s response to the pandemic. Some are vocal that the university is not doing enough, while others believe that the university is doing the best it can under difficult circumstances.

Palm Beach County

Cases continue to trend downward in the county, with a 48% decrease in cases over the previous two weeks, according to the New York Times. There are 341 cases in the county as of Oct. 7.

Vaccinations are up, with 59% of PBC residents vaccinated, up from 58% one week ago. There are now 3,933 COVID-19 deaths in the county.

Florida

The state of Florida is still considered a hot spot, with most of South Florida being in the “very high” risk category.

The highest risk areas are currently central Florida and the panhandle. Still, the state has seen cases fall 55% in the previous two weeks.

There are 4,030 cases being reported per day in the state. Vaccinations are up in the state, with 58% of Floridians being fully vaccinated versus 57% on Oct. 1.

Michael Gennaro is a staff writer and social media manager for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or message him on Twitter or Instagram @mycoolgennaro