‘It’s not over yet.’ Keep fighting COVID with masks, vaccines, Manatee health official says 

As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues across the U.S., health officials are beginning to sound a more optimistic note about the pandemic, and a return to something like normal seems just around the corner.

But danger from the novel coronavirus is not gone yet. New, troubling variants are cropping up in Florida, and swaths of the public have yet to get a vaccine.

In Manatee County, local health officials are urging residents to stay vigilant about the virus as they begin a new phase of pandemic response.

The Bradenton Herald recently spoke with Dr. Jennifer Bencie, county health officer for FDOH-Manatee County.

Bencie, the county’s top health official, offered insight on the health department’s continuing effort to get the public vaccinated. She also shared some notes on how Manatee County is faring during the pandemic and what the public can do to help get back to normal faster.

Some key messages for residents, according to Bencie:

• Keep getting tested if you suspect you might have COVID-19.
• Keep following the Centers for Disease Control’s recommendations, including for mask use and social distancing.
• And get vaccinated, if at all possible.

“Be smart,” Bencie said. “Because unfortunately it’s not over yet. We’re improving the situation, but we’re still working toward that end goal of not having the virus in our community.”

Here are some questions and answers about how the local response to the pandemic is progressing.

What is the COVID-19 situation in Manatee County?

Local officials continue to monitor the spread of the virus using short and long-term trends, including deaths, hospitalizations and positivity rates.

“We get the daily reports from the state, in terms of data, and then we also meet with our community partners every day to make sure we’re on the same page,” Bencie said.

Overall, conditions have drastically improved compared to last year.

“The deaths, while they are still happening, obviously are slowing down,” Bencie said. “We are not seeing as many people in the hospital or the ICU as we did last year at this time.”

As of Thursday, 661 resident deaths have been recorded in Manatee County during the pandemic; 228 of them were recorded this year, but only 26 of those were recorded in April.

Deaths have also slowed at long-term care facilities, which account for almost one-third of local COVID-19 fatalities during the pandemic.

“We still work very closely with them doing infection control and making sure that the population there is safe,” Bencie said of nursing homes. “And we’re not seeing the outbreaks or the virus spread like we did this time last year. We’re still keeping an eye on it and continuing to improve the hygiene practices at those facilities.”

What about the positivity rate?

Positivity, which is an indicator of virus spread in the community, is still higher than health officials would like it to be.

Positivity can be gauged on a daily or weekly basis or, on a wider scale, since the beginning of the pandemic. The health department’s go-to is the weekly rate.

“It’s difficult to just look at one day,” Bencie said. “We think it’s better to look at a week at a time and watch for those trends to go up or down. In general, the (weekly) positivity rate is still higher than where we’d like it to be.”

“We would love to be at 5% for a long period of time,” Bencie noted. “That was really the goal since the beginning.”

As of Thursday, the average positivity rate for Manatee County test results over the past week was 6.5%. That’s about the same as it was on April 1, at 6.4%.

Positivity has so far been a reliable indicator of spikes in virus spread, such as after the holidays and spring break, according to Bencie.

“You can anticipate what’s coming,” Bencie said. “So far everything that we have predicted in that respect comes true. We see those numbers go up and down.”

Is testing still important?

“We’re glad people are still getting tested, because obviously the virus is still out there,” Bencie said. “If they feel that they could have COVID, we want to make sure that we find that. Whether it’s a first time, or it could be a variant. We want to make sure that they still know how to access the system for anything that they need related to COVID-19.”

Tests are also often required for travel, Bencie noted.

More info about local testing options can be found at mymanatee.org.

What’s next for vaccination efforts?

Bencie says that Manatee County has so far outpaced the statewide rate for vaccinations among the general population. Efforts have included the county drive-thru sites, as well as outreach to specific groups like homebound seniors and homeless people.

As of Thursday, about 42% of Manatee County residents had received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and about 30% had completed vaccination, according to state data.

“The vaccine numbers are in a good place right now. We want to continue that,” Bencie said. “We’ve reached those younger populations as well as high-risk seniors and those with underlying medical conditions.”

But with many Manatee residents yet to be vaccinated and county-sponsored drive-thru events coming to a close, the plan is to now begin more targeted efforts.

“People had that first chance to come and drive to us,” Bencie said. “Now we’re going to try to change that model a little bit and try to find those harder to reach individuals.”

The health department is now offering to bring mobile vaccination clinics to places with large groups of people who still need to be vaccinated. Anyone who is interested can call 941-748-0747.

“They can call us as a business, a mobile home park, a homeowners association,” Bencie said. “We can definitely organize to come out to anyone if they feel that they can’t get to the existing sites.”

Then there are the vaccine skeptics. Educating residents about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines is an ongoing process, Bencie said, and the health department is about to get some extra resources to help.

“I’m very proud to say we’re one of three health departments in the country who have received a grant which includes an individual joining our team to work specifically on the vaccine hesitancy issue,” Bencie said. “It should let us get into the community, hear the issues, have discussions and dispel rumors or fears that people have.”

The grant was awarded by the National Association of County and City Health Officials with support from the CDC. The other grant winners are located in Iowa and Washington.

“It’s there, we know that,” Bencie said of vaccine skepticism. “Some of it is that people were waiting to see how others did when they received their shot. So more people are now saying, ‘Oh, Ok, I can do that. My friend had it, my family member had a vaccine and it wasn’t a big deal from a health perspective.’”

What should the public be doing at this stage?

“Seriously consider getting vaccinated, first and foremost,” Bencie said. “Because we do have those variants out there. And again, less than 50% (of residents) are vaccinated, so there’s still a lot of people who risk carrying the virus and perhaps being asymptomatic and not knowing they have it.”

Scientists are still studying whether fully vaccinated people can easily transmit the virus. And there is also a slight chance of vaccinated people getting infected themselves in what is referred to as a “vaccine breakthrough case.”

That’s why it is important to keep following CDC guidelines, according to Bencie, including wearing masks when necessary, staying 6 feet apart, washing hands often and staying home if sick.

“We don’t want people to let their guard down and think that they don’t have to worry any more,” Bencie said. “We’re only a little over a year into this virus. We’re still learning. So we always want to air on the side of caution when it comes to people’s health.”

Where can I find a vaccine?

“We encourage people to go to the vaccine locator on the FDOH COVID-19 website,” said FDOH-Manatee County spokesman Christopher Tittel. “They can go there click on Manatee County and they’re going to see the full list of all the different places they can go to get vaccinated.”

Visit floridahealthcovid19.gov/vaccines/vaccine-locator.

This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 5:00 AM.