Central Florida leaders ensure language barriers will not prevent access to COVID-19 vaccine

ORLANDO, Fla. — Community leaders are making sure a language barrier will not prevent seniors from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Drivers waited outside the Vietnamese Catholic Church on Par Street early Saturday to receive their vaccines.

“Today, we have about 600 vaccines that will be given out,” said Rep. Travaris McCurdy.

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Appointments were made ahead of time, and anyone eligible was welcome.

“We do have teachers getting vaccinated today, law enforcement, firefighters,” said Rep. Anna Eskamani.

The majority of the people getting vaccines at the event were Asian Americans.

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Eskamani said elders in particular haven’t had the same access to the vaccines.

“There were so many language barriers with the Vietnamese community and the Asian American community as a whole,” Eskamani said.

In January, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida emergency management would work with faith-based communities to get COVID-19 vaccines to underserved areas.

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So far, the state said they’ve done that, and have administered nearly 60,000 doses of the vaccine.

See the full report in the video above.

Cox Media Group