Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. – A COVID-19 Weekly Situation Report published July 15 from the Florida State Department of Health indicates 72% (15,900,810) of eligible Floridians are now partially or fully vaccinated against COVID-19. More than 46,000 people were vaccinated in the past month. According to John Hopkins University, Florida is slightly ahead of the US average for people fully vaccinated by state (65%), yet leads in the top 4 states (along with California, Texas and New York) for number of people vaccinated.

This news is encouraging to Florida’s Local Health Councils, whose community awareness campaign, “Stay Healthy, Sunshine,” encourages vaccination as “your brightest bet” to proactively reduce the risk of severe health symptoms and hospitalizations that have occurred in unvaccinated patients. The statewide promotion is led by the Health Council of Southeast Florida and is sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The campaign’s goal is to encourage informed, confident decisions about vaccination to protect personal, family and community health.

“As news of greater infection from the BA.5 omicron variant sweeps the state, our partner Local Health Councils across Florida are urging citizens to discuss vaccination options for themselves and their children with their trusted family physician and pediatrician,” says Andrea Stephenson, Chief Executive Officer for the Health Council of Southeast Florida and campaign director.

At the campaign’s website, stayhealthysunshine.org, visitors will find a reliable source of updated news and facts, a vaccination finder link, a list of Florida’s 11 Local Health Councils, and connections to assistance for COVID-related needs.

Stephenson adds, “’Stay Healthy, Sunshine’ encourages Floridians to stay up to date as vaccination options evolve. New options are emerging all the time, offering people of differing health concerns the opportunity to protect themselves and others from serious illness. Talk to your physician about what’s right for you, and make it a priority to complete your vaccine course. We are proud Floridians are willing to learn more and stay healthy so we can all enjoy life fully.”