Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan is encouraging young people in the area to get vaccinated against coronavirus.Sheehan says she lost half of her friends between the age of 25 and 30 during the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s.
And she says the average age of people getting sick in Orange County right now with coronavirus is 33.
“That’s about the age was when it happened. And you know what we’re still losing people. People are still getting hospitalized. We cannot not take this seriously.”
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Sheehan says many of her friends who own nightclubs in the city are struggling to get patrons to keep their masks on.
She says her own nephew who is young got sick with COVID-19 and it was a serious case.
“I know when you’re young you think you’re immune and it's not going to happen to you. But my nephew had it and it was awful. This is not something you want to get. And if it’s as easy as getting a vaccination please, please, please get your vaccination. It's free."
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Sheehan says there was a day last week in Orange County when there were more than 500 new coronavirus cases in one day.
She says herd immunity is crucial to returning to normal life but that will take 70 to 80 percent of people getting the shot.
