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Vaccination rate is up to 40 percent; percent positive rate was 11.3 percent

POLK COUNTY—As school started this week in Polk County, last week’s percent positive rate was at its high for COVID-19 at 11.3 percent. 

The Polk County Division of Public Health issued its weekly COVID-19 update last Friday stating that the county had added another 49 cases. Polk County has now had 1,714 cases of COVID-19 since last March, compared to 1,665 the week prior. 

The week prior’s percent positive rate was 8.6 percent and the county had added another 50 cases. 

As of Friday, Polk County had a total of 32 deaths from the virus and 78 people had been hospitalized. 

There have been 40 percent of Polk County residents vaccinated as of Friday, which was up a percent from the previous week. The county has given at least one dose of the vaccination to 8,778 residents and there are 8,217 residents who are fully vaccinated, according to the county’s report. 

Polk County’s positive cases overall have been mostly in people age 25-49 years old, followed by people 50-64 years old, people 65-74 years old, people 75 and above, people 0-17 and people 18-24 years old. 

Vaccines are free for anyone and are now being administered to everyone age 12 and older in North Carolina. 

To schedule an appointment with the county people can call the Polk County COVID message line at 828-722-5086. More information is also available on a special COVID-19 tab located at polknc.org. 

Local pharmacies are also now giving vaccines.