© 2024 Central Florida Public Media. All Rights Reserved.
90.7 FM Orlando • 89.5 FM Ocala
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Most Orange County Workers Get Vaccinated By Mandated Deadline, Unvaccinated Employees Will Get Tested on A Weekly Basis

Photo: Mayor Jerry Demings
Photo: Mayor Jerry Demings

About 86 percent of Orange County workers have gotten at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine by the September 30th deadline. 

95 percent of non-union employees and about 75 percent of union employees have gotten either the first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot. 

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings says workers who showed proof of vaccination by Thursday will receive a day off and those who submitted proof by August 31st got a one-time 250 dollar bonus.

"Again, my goal was to incentivize and not penalize our employees as we instituted a vaccine mandate. This effort makes employees and citizens safer from contracting COVID-19.”

[audio mp3="https://www.wmfe.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/demings-clip-two.mp3"][/audio]

Demings says all the county unions have also entered into agreements with the county over the vaccine mandate. 

“And so that is good news for Orange County. That is good news for our residents.”

[audio mp3="https://www.wmfe.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/demings-clip-one.mp3"][/audio]

Demings says employees who are unvaccinated must submit to weekly COVID-19 tests and will receive a written reprimand. 

The 14-day rolling positivity rate has dipped to 8.3 percent in the county.

Danielle Prieur covers education in Central Florida.