Mayor Apgar Test Positive For COVID-19, Urges Residents To Get Vaccinated

DeLand, FL - As cases rise across the state, DeLand Mayor Robert "Bob" Apgar announces he is now quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19. The news of Apgar’s quarantine was delivered by him personally through his Facebook account on Tuesday afternoon (August 17) before it was shared by the city’s official Facebook page. "I received both doses of the vaccine earlier this year when it became available to those over 65," wrote Apgar. "But like many people are finding with the variant, it is much more contagious than previous strains we have encountered. " Apgar then stated that his symptoms have not been severe, comparing them to a "bad cold." He added that he believes the vaccine is what lessened the severity of his symptoms and urged residents to get vaccinated. "No one has ever said that the vaccine or other suggested protective measures would be a fool-proof solution but the vaccine is our most effective weapon in protecting ourselves from Covid-19," said Apgar. "That’s why I am urging all of our residents to get vaccinated to protect yourselves and your loved ones and follow all of the CDC guidelines." COVID-19 Cases Climb Throughout State A report from the Florida Department of Health (DOH) that was released last Friday (August 13) shows 151,415 more cases of COVID-19 were reported in the week of August 8 to August 12, which is up from the 134,711 cases that were reported the week prior. That same report says 12,420,704 individuals, or 65 percent of the state, have been vaccinated for COVID-19. Of those over 12 million individuals, 2,100,860 have completed their first dose while the remainder have completed their vaccine series, or received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Out of all age groups in the state, the 65 and over crowd remains the most vaccinated in the state with 4,584,066 currently vaccinated. The lowest is the 60-64 age group, which has seen 1,438,783 complete vaccinations. If you are looking to receive a COVID-19 vaccine but don’t know where to go, check the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine locator.