JEA is hosting a community COVID-19 vaccination event Thursday, Aug. 5, to honor a local medical expert who was killed in a personal watercraft accident last month.
Dr. Leon Haley Jr., the first person in the State of Florida to get the COVID-19 vaccine, died on July 24. He was the CEO of UF Health Jacksonville and a JEA board member, and an active champion of distributing COVID-19 vaccinations.
To honor him, JEA is hosting a vaccination event at its Downtown Jacksonville headquarters at 325 Ashley Street. Vaccines will be available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m, and no appointments are required.
The drive comes as COVID-19 is spiking across the state. Last week, 110,724 COVID-19 cases were reported in Florida, with Duval County having 8,343 of them.
JEA CEO Jay Stowe said the event is meant to help increase Duval’s vaccination rate.
“Together, we will help carry out Dr. Haley’s mission and defeat this deadly virus,” Stowe said.
Tristan Wood can be reached at newsteam@wjct.org or on Twitter at @TristanDWood.
