Even with fewer people getting tested over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, new COVID-19 infections increased by 49 cases to 276 cases reported over the past seven days, with the average cases per day increasing from 34 cases per day to 39 cases per day.

The barrier island posted another banner week of new cases, with 23 new cases this week on top of 24 new cases last week.

Twenty-two people were admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 over the past week and tragically, the death of five people was reported, down just slightly from six deaths the previous week.

Seventeen new virus cases in long-term care facilities were reported this past week, as the community spread is making its way into nursing homes and assisted-living communities despite best efforts at infection control.

Forty-four of this week’s new cases were in people age 75 and older.

As the Christmas holidays approach, Floridians wait to see when the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in their communities. Hopefully, sufficient doses of the vaccine will make it to smaller communities like Vero Beach soon enough to curb the current pandemic surge here.