PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Palm Beach County leaders on Tuesday discussed their response to the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
At a virtual county commission meeting, Dr. Alina Alonso, the health director for Palm Beach County, had some good news and some areas to improve upon when it comes to battling COVID-19.
Alonso said the county's daily lab positivity rate is going down in Palm Beach County, and she added that's a sign we're going in the right direction because it indicates how much virus is in the community.
Alonso said masks and social distancing are working to slow the spread of the virus.
However, Alonso said there have been some large gatherings in western communities and other parts of Palm Beach County that are contributing to the spread of the virus.
"In the areas of the Lake Worth corridor where there is a significant amount of parties resulting from birthdays, weddings, get-together barbecues, whatever you have that brings folks together," Alonso said. "We see that after these events, we have spikes in the number of cases."
County officials said there have been fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations in the last week.
When it comes to a vaccine, Dr. Alonso said when we do get it, the pandemic won't be over. She added it will take months after that before the vaccine is effective enough to protect the population.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: Coronavirus
According to the latest numbers from the Florida Department of Health, there are 34,929 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Palm Beach County, including 861 deaths.
