Orange County prepares for vaccine distribution

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Orange County officials say they have the means necessary to store tens of thousands of doses of a coronavirus vaccine once it is eventually released.

Mayor Jerry Demings says they want to be ready when a vaccine is released and buying special freezers is the next step to battling the coronavirus.V

"We want to serve as a model for how to go about doing that."

Demings says the county can store 150,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccines with its new refrigerator, freezer, and ultra-cold freezer.

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The county spent 67,000 dollars on the new equipment, saying it’s necessary to protect the vaccine.

"Obviously the vaccine has to be kept cold. When it comes time to give the vaccine out, our health services wanted to be prepared."

The county hopes that day comes soon as several pharmaceutical companies are in the testing phase for its vaccine trials.

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Since the start of the pandemic, Orange County has seen more than 50,000 cases of COVID-19 and 600 people have died.

The mayor says they are waiting on guidance from the state on how the vaccines will be distributed when the times comes.