Seminole County to begin giving COVID vaccine to seniors as early as Monday

Seminole County has started giving out the first few doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and plans to start making it available to people 65 and older in the county, starting Monday at the Oviedo Mall.

The county’s health director, Dr. Todd Husty, got one of the doses on Wednesday.

"I didn't feel it," Husty said, "honestly I didn't know she had done it."

Dr. Maneesh Gossain, an Orlando physician, said he hoped seniors in the county would do the same.

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"If we have this supply if Gov. DeSantis has the supply to get it to patients 65 and over," he said, "then I think they'll be motivated to get the vaccine because they'll be more at risk."

The county requires residents to register online or by phone for vaccine appointments, and the system for that is up-and-running. County officials said that for now, they could vaccinate up to 700 people per day at the Oviedo Mall site, but planned to open more as they got more doses.

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"We're making it happen. I'm actually right here, setting up the point of distribution. Registrations are required for this point of dispensing," said Alan Harris, Seminole County’s Emergency Manager.

On Monday, Dec 28, the site would be open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. After that, it will be open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except for New Year's Day. Emergency managers said that even though the governor had only recently announced that seniors would be in the first group to get the shots, they were ready.

Dr. Maneesh Gossain said it had the potential to end this nightmare.

"I think it's important for everyone to get the vaccine, I think it'll help all of us curb the pandemic. At least we're doing as much as we can locally, so I think it's a great thing to have it available."

Seminole County residents can register online to get the vaccine. You can learn more about the vaccination appointments here. County residents can also register by calling 407-665-0000.

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