A government building in Manatee County, Florida, is reopening after an outbreak infected eight employees in its IT department, killing two.
Both of the deaths occurred in persons in their 50s who were not vaccinated.
“This particular outbreak demonstrates the effectiveness, I believe, with the vaccine. All of the cases were non-vaccinated,” County Administrator Dr. Scott Hopes, an epidemiologist, told a Fox 13 affiliate.
Dr. Hopes told CNN that the only exposed employee in the IT office who was vaccinated did not get infected.
He also told Fox that he believes the outbreak was caused by a variant “unlike what we had last year.”
U.S. officials are fearful of the so-called Delta variant that was first detected in India and is far more aggressive than the original strain.
Florida officials said the outbreak in Manatee County started with five employees in the IT department. Four had to be hospitalized.
Three more cases were reported over the weekend.
Fox 13 said the building was cleaned from top to bottom and a sign was posted urging non-vaccinated persons to take precautions.
Health, The New York Today
