People 60 and older are now eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Florida.
The next group comes as seniors, school workers, first responders and the medically-vulnerable continue to get their shots.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the change in a news conference last week.
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He said the vaccine rollout in Florida is going very well, and many seniors have already received their second dose.
“I think the numbers speak for themselves,” he said. “If you look in the state of Florida, we’ve got we’ve got almost 60% of seniors have gotten shots in Florida. That’s almost 3 million seniors.”
Here are the requirements to get vaccinated at most sites:
- Seniors 60 and up.
- Health care workers with direct patient contact.
- First responders who are 50 and up
- Educators and staffer at schools, day cares and children’s learning centers.
- Anyone considered medically vulnerable to the coronavirus.
Residents should double check requirements before making an appointment or heading to a vaccination site.
A federally-run vaccination site is open at Valencia College – West Campus, 1800 S. Kirkman Road.
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The site operates seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
No appointment is needed at the site.
Karen Winkle feels like one of the lucky ones, because she survived a scary pandemic without getting COVID-19 before getting vaccinated.
“I feel so good, I do,” she said. “I feel so good.”
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Winkle is 62 years old, and was able to get an appointment at the Orange County Convention Center on the first day her age group was able to sign up.
“It’s exciting,” said Kent Donahue with the Orange County Department of Health. “We’re actually at capacity today. (We’re) over capacity.”
That’s something county health officials couldn’t say last week.
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The site is able to vaccinate 3,000 people a day. The Orange County vaccination site opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m., and it’s only closed on Sundays.
But up until the 60-and-over age group was eligible, they were able to see about half that on some days.
“But we do have appointments available the rest of this week. So go on to the website and create your account. If you are eligible, get your appointment and pick a day,” Donahue said.
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