Orange County portal for vaccines fully booked in under two hours

Orange County reopens portal for vaccine appointments on Monday

Appointments are expected to fill up quickly. Last week, they filled within 45 minutes.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Vaccination efforts are moving ahead in Orange County on Monday.

The county's web portal reopened at 9 a.m. with available appointments.

By 10:58 a.m., the portal was fully booked.

You must be 65 or older and a Florida resident to sign up for a vaccine. You can pre-register HERE for a set of doses and it will make it quicker to sign up for an appointment time the next time the portal reopens.

Also starting Monday, Orange County will begin distributing 3,000 doses per day instead of 2,500. With these additional doses, the county hopes to speed up the process by adding more vaccine stations. The Orlando Fire Department and Orange County Fire Rescue will be on hand to help distribute doses.

Those who need a ride to the Orange County Convention Center vaccination site can get a free ride on a Lynx vehicle. They will take people from Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties. If you live in Orange County, just call 311 to set up your ride. Those in other counties should call 407-836-3111. You must call at least 48 hours before your appointment.

Orange County health officials say that about 45 percent of seniors in the county have been vaccinated so far.

Governor Ron DeSantis has not announced yet when the next group of people or age category will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The idea of expanding has frustrated some seniors who continue to struggle to get an appointment.

Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.