The COVID Variant is here, and it is a matter of time before it is brought to school. To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the Delta Variant, sign this petition to ensure the future of young students by requiring masks year-long in the St Johns County School District. Not since early June has the Florida Department of Health provided a breakdown of where resident deaths from COVID-19 occurred. Over the past two months, 2,094 more residents have died with the virus in the state. On Wednesday afternoon, UF Health Jacksonville broke the silence, telling News4Jax there were four COVID-19 deaths at their two hospitals in June, 37 in July and nine in the first three days of August. Thursday morning, UF Health reported three additional deaths, bringing the total so far this month to 12 -- an average of three each day. Also Thursday, Baptist Health’s CEO told News4Jax their five hospitals have had 119 deaths since June 21, more than 2½ deaths each day for the last six weeks. “In fact today, I’m very sad to share that we lost an adolescent in our children’s hospital, 16 years of age, to COVID,” CEO Michael Mayo said. “Very devastating for our staff and the situation.” The teenager was not vaccinated and had no underlying health issues, the hospital said. Both parents are hospitalized at other area hospitals. Nobody likes this virus. It can only go away if we as a community contribute to helping our family, friends, and neighbors by getting vaccinated and wearing our masks.

[ information from news4jax.com/news/ ]