Dyer & Demings get vaccinated
Matthew Peddie, WMFE
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer rolled up their sleeves to receive their first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the end of a televised press conference Monday.
"That was painless," quipped Demings afterwards.
Before getting the shot, Dyer said the decision to get vaccinated was "pretty easy."
"I remain confident in the evidence based science and the guidance of the medical and science professionals who have shared data and information that these vaccines are safe and these vaccines are effective," said Dyer.
"I'm getting the vaccine to keep my loved ones and others in our community protected from the spread of the virus, and to protect and ease the burden on our healthcare workers and first responders who've been on the front line since the beginning of the pandemic."
Orange County to begin vaccinating seniors Tuesday
Orange County will begin vaccinating residents aged 65 and older tomorrow.
The county aims to vaccinate 1,500 people per day with the Moderna vaccine at a drive through site at the Orange County Convention Center.
People who want to get the COVID-19 vaccine have to register online, at ocfl.net/vaccines
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said people without internet access will be able to get help with registration early next week by dialing 311 or by going to one of the county’s community centers.
The vaccine is free, but people will need to show a valid ID for proof of residence in Orange County.
Seminole County first site in Florida to offer vaccine to people 65 and older
Abe Aboraya, WMFE
Seminole County became the first site in Florida to offer a COVID-19 vaccine to Floridians over the age of 65.
Seminole County got 8,100 doses of the Moderna vaccine, and began offering them to Floridians 65 and older Monday. However, all appointments through this week and next have already been booked.
[caption id="attachment_171195" align="alignleft" width="400"]
Image: Seminole County Emergency Management Facebook page[/caption]
Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said the message is simple: Hope is here.
“We assume Orange County will open pretty soon," said Harris.
"Other counties will follow suit very shortly. It’s all dependent on the doses. Lake County is ready to go. Volusia County is ready to go. It’s just getting the doses to them.”
Osceola County also began booking appointments for the vaccine for people 65 and older and for health care personnel. Osceola County residents can register by calling 407 343 2000.
An FDA advisory panel recommends people 75 and older and frontline essential workers - including teachers and first responders - be next to get vaccinated.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is instead requiring Floridians over the age of 65 be vaccinated before essential workers.
So far, more than 118,000 Floridians have gotten the first dose of the vaccine- all of them health care workers and people in long-term care facilities.
Find more information about vaccination availability in Seminole County here.
Florida approaches 1.3 million coronavirus cases
Matthew Peddie, WMFE
Florida added 8,057 new COVID-19 cases, according to figures released Monday.
Florida is averaging 10,059 new cases per day in the last week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University analyzed by NPR.
That’s a seven percent decrease over the week prior, and a four percent increase from two weeks ago.
Florida’s record for new daily COVID-19 cases was set in July.
As of Monday, 6,104 patients were in the hospital statewide with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19.
In total, 1,258,315 Floridians have gotten COVID-19, and more than twenty-one thousand six-hundred people (21,613) have died statewide.