About 7.5 percent of the population in Orange County has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
On Monday at 9 am, online vaccine appointments at the Orange County Convention Center will reopen to qualified Florida residents who are 65 years and older.
Mayor Demings says anyone who gets a shot, must present a valid form of ID.
“As a reminder, we say to all of the public please bring your valid identification to show that you live in the state of Florida and your square QR code with appointment details.”
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Demings says residents without transportation to the Convention Center, can dial 311 to get a free ride from Lynx. The service must be contacted within 48 hours of pickup time. So far, 30 people have already used the free ride program to get their shot.
He says reopening these online appointments that filled up in less than 45 minutes today, should only boost vaccination rates in the area.
“Also starting Monday, the Convention Center will increase its capacity to, they’ll be handling up to 3,000 individual doses a day.”
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Demings says he expects to be able to announce an additional federal site soon, as well as other pharmacies in the area that will offer the shots.
Orange County Health Director Raul Pino says there continues to be a high demand for COVID-19 vaccines in this community. So high, that Pino says it’s led some people to get creative in order to get vaccinated.
He says on Wednesday, a couple of young women came dressed up as grannies to get vaccinated for the second time at the Convention Center.
“But they came vaccinated, the bonnets, the gloves, the glasses, the whole thing and they probably were in their twenties.”
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Pino says it’s unclear how they were able to get their first dose, and that staff were alerted by their get-ups and problems with their IDs and drivers’ licenses.
He says he’s seen other people try to use parents’ CDC-issued first dose cards if they share the same name to get their shot.
