JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While the number of people being hospitalized for COVID-19 is dropping in Duval County, so is the age of those in the hospital receiving treatment for the virus.
As of Monday afternoon, there were 114 people hospitalized in Duval County with COVID. The average age was around 50.
All adults are now eligible for a vaccination in Florida, though some younger people are skeptical of the shot. Janene Elliott is 39 years old and said she doesn’t plan to get vaccinated.
“There is a little bit of hesitation as far as just normal stuff that everyone is saying -- it was so quick,” Elliott said.
Elliott is a mother and she is healthy. She said she will continue to social distance and hopes that will be enough to keep her safe.
News4Jax spoke with Dr. Elizabeth Ransom with Baptist Health, asking if hesitation from younger people about getting vaccinated was a concern.
“That is a huge concern because the vaccine is the best defense that we have,” Ransom said.
At Baptist Hospital in Jacksonville, there were 55 people hospitalized as of Monday with COVID. Of those, 15 were in intensive care.
“Generally those patients are a little bit younger, in their 50s” Ransom said. “We are seeing fewer, of course, that are older because many of those individuals have been vaccinated now. So we are seeing a slightly younger cohort.”
At UF Heath in Jacksonville, the number of people hospitalized as of Monday was lower -- 19. The average age is also 50.
To get more people vaccinated, health advocates in Duval have been going door-to-door, encouraging people -- especially young people -- to get vaccinated.