Sixteen and seventeen year olds will have to be accompanied by a legal guardian or biological parent to get vaccinated in Orange County starting next Monday.
Orange County Department of Health Director Dr. Raul Pino says legal guardians or parents will also have to register their child to get the shot.
“Parents will have to register themselves and then register the child under their name to be 100 percent sure that an adult is making the registration for the minor.”
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Pino says the only exception to this rule is if a minor is legally emancipated in which case they can make their own appointment and get inoculated by themselves.
He says it's crucial that young people get the shot. About a third of all hospitalizations in the country are in people younger than 45.
And he says young adults account for most new coronavirus cases in the county which he expects will only increase as a result of Spring Break and the Easter holiday.
“There has been an increase in the younger segment of the population. Which people from 15 to 24 account for over 30 percent of all new infections. So that's why we need to aggressively move into the younger segment of the population. So please come and get vaccinated, when the appointments open.”
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Floridians 16 and up are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine next week under the FDA’s emergency use authorization.
