As of today, Tampa has a “fully vaccinated” rate for COVID-19 of 40 percent for all ages — which includes 50 percent for ages 18 and above and 71 percent for ages 65 and above. However, what that means is about 60 percent of our local population isn’t vaccinated. By comparison, across the entire state, approximately 50 percent are fully vaccinated, while 53 percent have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. People have all sorts of reasons for not getting vaccinated, including lack of access to the vaccine, COVID-19 not being seen as a real threat, concern over the vaccine’s side effects, an inherent lack of trust in vaccinations, misinformation about cost (it’s free), and lack of information about the vaccine and its long-term effects. Whatever the reasons for getting vaccinated or choosing not to, Florida appears to be in line with vaccination rates across the country, […]