Sanford assisted living facility gets COVID-19 vaccine after first appointments canceled

SANFORD, Fla. - Roughly 50 residents and 16 staff members received their first COVID-19 vaccination shots at Gracious Age Assisted Living in Sanford Friday.

CDR Health, one of the contractors administering vaccines in Florida, gave them the heads up Thursday night.

"At first I was very skeptical because we got the cancellations and everything," said Gracious Age Assisted Living owner Carviz Carlos.

That’s because CVS was previously scheduled to vaccinate the people at Gracious Age on January 28. But when CDR Health was tapped by the state to help vaccinate nursing homes and assisted living facilities, that original appointment with CVS was canceled with no reschedule date.

"I was like well ‘when are we going to get it?’" said resident Charles Reyes.

According to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, they weren’t alone. As of February 1, teams had offered the vaccine to 1,500 facilities. The state told FOX 35 News it is clear that a gap remains in the federal program as only 84% of all assisted living facilities have self-reported that they have been visited.

Gracious Age is happy to now be in the lucky group.

"I feel like if I come in contact with another resident that has got their vaccine, then I’ll feel more comfortable," said resident Jeanne Gadd.

Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest coronavirus news.