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State and Orange County will team up to bring vaccines to homes in Pine Hills, Rosemont and Lockhart neighborhoods

Mayor Jerry Demings says people 40 and older can get vaccinated at the Orange County Convention Center beginning Monday. Image: Orange County via YouTube
Mayor Jerry Demings says people 40 and older can get vaccinated at the Orange County Convention Center beginning Monday. Image: Orange County via YouTube

Starting Monday, canvassers will visit homes in the northwest Orange County neighborhoods of Pine Hills, Rosemont and Lockhart, where residents may have difficulty getting a coronavirus vaccine.

Those state workers will team up with county firefighters who are paramedics.

Mayor Jerry Demings says the paramedic will return to the home to administer the vaccine.

"We are proud to be part of this partnership with the state aimed at helping homebound seniors," he said.

Florida Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz says visiting homebound seniors is part of the state's diverse approach, which will soon include 15 mobile units.

Just knocking on doors, he says, has about a 10 percent success rate.

"This is something that's just another tool in the tool box," Moskowitz said. "It's not going to obviously increase shots in arms tremendously but there are people obviously in the minority community that have transportation issues."

For this type of outreach, the state plans to use the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Starting Monday, they'll team up to bring vaccines to homes in the underserved neighborhoods of Pine Hills, Rosemont and Lockhart.

 

Joe Byrnes came to Central Florida Public Media from the Ocala Star-Banner and The Gainesville Sun, where he worked as a reporter and editor for several years. Joe graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans and turned to journalism after teaching. He enjoys freshwater fishing and family gatherings.