Vaccine Fairness In Palm Seashore County, COVID Lengthy Haulers, Termite Season Nears

This Tuesday, March 2nd, sequence of the sundial:

Vaccine Equity in Palm Beach County

Governor Ron DeSantis has been heavily criticized for the state’s vaccine rollout plan.

Seniors and the most vulnerable have waited in long lines, spent hours on the phone or online – just to maybe get an appointment.

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These problems are particularly profound in Palm Beach County. Around 400,000 senior citizens live here. When the COVID-19 vaccine was introduced, Publix had almost full control over the administration of the vaccine in the county.

“Under this plan, this would restrict access to vaccines for people living in underserved rural communities due to severe transportation problems,” said Wilkine Brutus of WLRN. “For communities in these specific areas, it takes 25 to 108 miles to get to a nearby Publix. And you also have to take poverty problems into account. “

And data shows minorities are well behind the vaccine – 71% of people who received the first dose in the county are white, 3.6% are Hispanic, and 3% are black.

In response to these “vaccine deserts,” the state opened a temporary vaccination center in Pahokee last month. There will also be mobile vaccine groups to help distribute it to underserved older communities.

Vaccine Equity in Palm Beach County

COVID long distance drivers

Easy breathing has been threatened by the coronavirus for millions of Americans.

Colleen Fitzgerald in Lake Worth caught the virus back in March and was terribly ill for almost a month. A year later, she has still not fully recovered and is regularly out of breath when doing basic daily activities.

“I can just walk through the grocery store and suddenly I can’t catch my breath,” said Fitzgerald. “It’s exhausting … I think it will only take time for my body to heal.”

She knows how important lung health is. Her mother, Linda Fitzgerald, died four years ago of stage 3 lung cancer.

“When your lungs are not working properly, you are not living your best life,” she said.

On Saturday, she will climb 900 steps at Hard Rock Stadium to raise funds for the American Lung Association as part of the Fight for Air Climb.

Termite Season Nears

Spring in South Florida means termite season. Termites can eat through the foundations of our homes. Asian underground termites have always been a problem in South Florida and have caused significant damage to our urban canopy over the past few decades.

Also, with the recommendation that we avoid letting workers into our homes, it is possible that termites could have eaten our homes during the past year. Thomas Chouvenc is an Associate Professor in the Department of Food and Agricultural Resources at the University of Florida.

“There is very little we can do to stop the species from spreading. What we can do is keep an eye on our trees, keep an eye on our homes, and look for any early signs of activity. It’s time to start making long-term plans for your home and mortgage, ”said Chouvenc at Sundial.

The UF Institute has created a mapping tool that you can use to find termite sightings in your neighborhood.

Chouvenc joined Sundial in 2019 to explain the different types of termites, what to look for and how to remove them. Find this story here.