GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Twenty percent of the COVID-19 cases in the county are children younger than 15.

This marks a shift from COVID-19 numbers last year when children were presumed more immune from catching the virus. The Delta variant has created a markable increase in cases for school-age children. Clay County Health Department Director Heather Huffman said the uptake is likely the result of school being back in session.

“Last week, which ended on Aug, 19, we were at 1,263 and the last four days, we’re at 594, which is about 148 cases a day versus 180 a day [last week],” Huffman told the Board of County Commissioners during the Aug. 24 meeting. “The only thing I see a pivot in is that 20% of those cases are in your 5-to-14-year-olds so you’re seeing them in your kids that are back in school, congregating.”

She said the positivity rate is around 21% and it needs to get back down to less than 10%.

On the vaccination side, 42% of all residents are fully vaccinated and 51% have at least started the process with one shot. The age group with the lowest vaccination rate is still the 20-to-25-year-olds. Testing sites are still busy, so many will have to wait about two days to get an appointment for a test. A new testing site is now open at Omega Park in Middleburg-Clay Hill because Huffman said one-third of the county’s positive cases are from that area.

“This disease and this vaccine have been so politicized that it’s led to misinformation out there and the CDC still remains the best source for fact-based information,” Huffman said. “TikTok, Facebook, Fox News...these are not great sources...and neither are your friends. I try not to be pessimistic. We’ve made it through the pandemic flu and the Spanish Flu and that took us several years to get out of and sadly, several people died. We will get through this.”

Huffman reiterated the vaccine is the best way to prevent hospitalization and death, and she stressed everyone should get one. She said Northeast Florida recently was the hotspot for COVID-19 in Florida, but she's noticed Central and South Florida have trended upward to have the highest rates. She also said the United Kingdom went through something very similar to Clay County and it took the UK about two months to get through it. Clay County is nearing that two-month mark, so she’s hopeful of a downward trend of the Delta variant.

“This isn’t about political affiliations,” Huffman said. “It doesn’t care if you’re blue or red. I want people to live long, healthy lives. If there’s one thing to prevent this deadly sickness...just please get vaccinated. It’s sad and frustrating when you hear about people that are anti-COVID vaccine. They get [COVID-19] and they’re so sick but it’s too late.”

In other business, the BCC delayed a decision to go into a million-dollar-plus purchase contract to obtain property located off State Road 21, just north of State Road 16, to be used to build a “multi-purpose youth sports complex.” It’s a $3 million property, but federal funding would cover half the cost. The BCC was set to vote on it before an appraisal of the property was completed.

“You don’t have this money,” one resident said during a public discussion. “Where is it coming from, because every time you ask for anything, they’ll tell you that you’re broke. You five are supposed to be taking care of our money. This is not taking care of our money, with no appraisal whatsoever.”

Commissioner Betsy Condon, who represents the district the sports complex would be located, said the resident was right to be concerned before the appraisal is completed.

“We need to do an appraisal and we need to delay the closing,” Condon said. “We need to do our due diligence. We need more clarification and I would move that we delayed this.”