Orange County holds free vaccinations, COVID shots for students event on Saturday

ORLANDO, Fla. - Orange County families packed into the gym at the school district's Academic Center for Excellence. Saturday was the last day for kindergarten and seventh grade students to get their required vaccinations for free, from the district. Parents say they're happy for the opportunity. 

"It's pretty convenient," said parent Andrea Brown. "So we were kind of like one of the first ones here, this morning."

All Florida students are required to be vaccinated against several diseases to attend public schools. Doctors say without these simple shots, kids could spread dangerous illnesses. 

"We could see a resumption of measles, mumps, whooping cough and typhoid fever in this country which would be something that would be really unfortunate," said Dr. Thomas Unnasch from USF Health.

As the back-to-school season ends and classes are around the corner, parents say they've seen higher demand for the shots. Along with the required shots for students, the district also offered free COVID vaccines for people ages five and up. Parents telling us this is all especially convenient because they were having trouble getting appointments at their doctors’ offices.

"Honestly, the free vaccines that they're giving away. It's convenient, because it's hard to get in to doctors right now, so it's convenient to get their shots here," said OCPS parent Andrea Watson.

Doctors say don’t wait until the last minute to get your child vaccinated.