Seminole County begins vaccinating priority patients, releases vaccine appointment details

Seminole County is wasting no time after getting its first shipment of more than 8,000 doses of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine.

On Wednesday, the county was expected to begin vaccinating '"top priority" patients, which includes frontline health care workers and qualifying county employees, paramedics, and some non-hospital health care providers per federal and state guidelines.

The County on Wednesday announced it will administer vaccines in accordance with the State of Florida’s order of prioritized groups, which are presently as follows:

Priority 1A:

  • Residents 65 years and older;
  • Residents/staff in long term care facilities;
  • CVS and Walgreens have been contracted by the State to deploy to long term care facilities; vaccines administered will not be taken from the County’s allotment of 8,100 doses. In the event CVS and Walgreens need assistance, the County’s strike teams of medical staff are on stand-by to utilize the County’s available vaccines in these facilities. 
  • EMTs/Paramedics providing direct services; and
  • Florida Department of Health clinical staff.
  • In addition, hospital workers providing direct services, including testing, treatment, other clinical services, and non-hospital health care workers are also considered to be in priority group 1A. These individuals should contact their affiliated hospital system to coordinate vaccination.

Priority 1B:

  • Law Enforcement;
  • 9-1-1 operators; and
  • Non-clinical critical/public health workers.

RELATED: AdventHealth opens monoclonal-antibody infusion clinics

VACCINE APPOINTMENTS

Registering:

  • APPOINTMENTS ARE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE VACCINE. 
  • Appointments are exclusively available for Seminole County residents in priority group 1A. Limited appointments are available daily, up to 700 per day. If a patient is unable to make an online appointment, they may call 407-665-0000, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (with the exception of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day) for assistance.
  • One person per appointment is permitted; individuals without an appointment will be turned away.
  • Registration forms will be accompanied by a short questionnaire to ensure patients are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. If a patient answers "yes" to any of the below questions, the patient is required to provide a clearance note from her/his doctor upon check-in at the vaccine site on the day of their appointment: 
  1. Are you sick today?
  2. Have you had a severe allergic reaction to a previous dose of this vaccine or to any of the ingredients of this vaccine?
  3. Do you carry an Epi-pen for emergency treatment of anaphylaxis?
  4. For women, are you pregnant or is there a chance you could become pregnant?
  5. For women, are you breastfeeding?
  6. Have you had any other vaccinations in the previous 14 days?
  7. In the past two weeks, have you tested positive for COVID-19?
  8. Have you had in the last 10 days fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea?
  9. Do you have allergies or reactions to any medications, foods, vaccines, or latex? 
  10. Are you immunocompromised or on medication that affects your immune system?
  11. Do you have a bleeding disorder or are you on a blood thinner/blood-thinning medication?
  12. Have you received a previous dose of any COVID-19 vaccine?

If any of the questions are answered affirmatively, and a doctor’s note is not provided upon arrival for the patient’s appointment, the patient will forfeit her/his appointment. 

Make an Appointment Online:

Appointment Check-In Procedures:

  • Upon arrival to an appointment, patients can expect to complete an FDOH Moderna Vaccine Consent Form. The form is available here for patients to print, complete, and bring to their scheduled appointment in order to expedite the check-in process.
  • Forms will also be available at the site to complete in person.
  • A completed form is required in order to receive the vaccine; appointments will be forfeited if a patient refuses to complete the consent form. 
  • Patients must produce a government-issued ID and provide proof of Seminole County residency (address on a driver’s license, name matching ID to a current utility bill/mortgage statement with Seminole County address, etc.) upon appointment check-in.
  • There is no charge for patients receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. 
  • Patients may schedule their appointment to receive the second vaccine dose on site after the initial dose is administered. 

Location and Hours:

The Seminole County Point-of-Dispensing Site will be located inside the Oviedo Mall, 1700 Oviedo Mall Boulevard, Oviedo (entrance nearest the Food Court and Regal Cinema). 

Hours of operation for Monday, December 28, 2020, will be 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., then Monday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m.to 4:00 p.m (closed on New Year’s Day). 

Walk-in appointments WILL NOT be accepted. 

Stay Informed:

Text COVID19INFO to 888-777 to opt-in for alerts from Seminole County Emergency Management, including announcements for expansion of vaccination criteria.

Updates will also be shared on the County's social media accounts, through traditional news media, and on PrepareSeminole.org.

RELATED: US hospitals forced to put COVID-19 sick in parking garages, hallways — and they’re running out of nurses

County leaders say that since there is a limited supply of the vaccine, the rest of the public needs to be careful during Christmas and New Year's.

"I cannot stress the importance of continuing to be vigilant and practicing those protective measures we’ve been talking about for months."

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