Orange County offers COVID-19 vaccine for kids at Barnett Park

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County is increasing parent access to the COVID-19 vaccine starting this weekend.

Saturday morning, the county offered kids aged 5-11 their first doses at Barnett Park.

READ: Orange County offering child COVID-19 vaccines this weekend: How to sign up

Jared Tesfamichael is only 11 years old, but he believes he has a good grasp on the pandemic.

Jared said he wanted to get vaccinated to be better protected from the deadly virus and help all of us return to normalcy.

“People say that these original masks are very uncomfortable, so they want to get vaccinated so they can take them off and be free,” Jared said.

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Confidence is a theme a lot of the kids had as they walked through the doors of the Barnett Park Administration building.

Nine-year-old Dillyn Lopez came with both parents.

He’s another of the more than 1,000 kids aged 5-11 who have gotten their first round of the Pfizer vaccine this week.

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“I think everything will go OK and I won’t get any allergic reactions,” Dillyn said.

Dillyn’s mom, Virginia, calls bringing children to get the shot an obligation as a parent, knowing first hand how scary the virus can be.

“So far, the information that we have is that it’s safe and this is a serious Illness. I myself got COVID and got really sick, almost died. So it’s important,” Virginia Lopez said. “We have to be aware of how important it is to keep children safe, and vaccinations are one of the best solutions.”

The Barnett Park vaccine site reopens Sunday at 9 a.m., and you do need an appointment.

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