OKEECHOBEE -- Okeechobee County’s COVID-19 new case positivity rate dropped dramatically from 40.7% for the week of Jan. 7-13 to 13.3% for the week of Feb. 4-10, according to the report shared by Bret Smith of the Florida Department of Health in Okeechobee County at the Feb. 10 Okeechobee County Commission meeting.

For the week of Jan. 7-13, Okeechobee County had 839 covid positive cases. Feb. 4-10, there were 74 positives.

“We are seeing that downslide now,” said Smith.

What we are trying to encourage people to do is test if you’ve had contact or had any symptoms.

Vaccine numbers have gone up, Smith said.

Longterm care facilities in Okeechobee County have had no new positive cases for the week.

Of the 74 cases, 24 were breakthrough cases of persons who are vaccinated and seven were reinfection cases. He said some people make the false assumption that if they already had COVID-19, they can’t get it again. That’s not true, especially with the omicron variant, he explained. This is why FDOH encourages even those who have already had COVID-19 to be vaccinated.

Vaccination does not completely prevent infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control, but it does greatly reduce the chance of serious illness and death from COVID-19. CDC and FDOH encourage everyone over the age of 5 to be vaccinated.

Vaccinations are free and available at most pharmacies. For a vaccination site near you, go online to https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/vaccines/vaccine-locator/