COVID-19 vaccine distribution at Oviedo Mall begins for those with appointments

OVIEDO, Fla. - Seminole County emergency management officials have begun giving the coronavirus vaccine to Florida residents 65 and older.

During a news conference held on Monday, county officials confirmed that Seminole County is the first in the state to administer vaccines to those 65 and older. The County is also one of eight in Florida's pilot program to distribute the vaccine. Others will soon follow.

A clinic is set up inside the Oviedo Mall for people with appointments. They are required to be vaccinated and can be made at PrepareSeminole.org or by calling 407-665-0000, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You reportedly do not need to be a Seminole County resident to receive the vaccine at the distribution site.

The site has reported issues due to incoming traffic. Appointments can still be made via Eventbrite, according to Seminole County.

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: 

• Are you sick today?
• Have you had a severe allergic reaction to a previous dose of this vaccine or to any of the ingredients of this vaccine?
• Do you carry an Epi-pen for emergency treatment of anaphylaxis?
• For women, are you pregnant or is there a chance you could become pregnant?
• For women, are you breastfeeding?
• Have you had any other vaccinations in the previous 14 days?
• In the past two weeks, have you tested positive for COVID-19?
• 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?
• Do you have allergies or reactions to any medications, foods, vaccines, or latex? 
• Are you immunocompromised or on medication that affects your immune system?
• Do you have a bleeding disorder or are you on a blood thinner/blood-thinning medication?
• Have you received a previous dose of any COVID-19 vaccine?

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The first week of appointments filled up on December 23, according to the website. They have opened next week for appointments, an official said on Monday morning. Additional appointments can be made once more vaccines are sent to Seminole County.

Seminole County told FOX 35 that they can vaccinate up to 700 people per day at the Oviedo Mall. By next week, they expect to have completed nearly 8,000 vaccinations.

If you did get an appointment, check-in procedures include:

• 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. 

Dr. Todd Husty, the Seminole County Medical Director, said that "we've all given vaccines before. It's just getting people through the paperwork, get them their shot, watch them for a little bit, make sure they're okay, and give them their card that says come back in 28 days and get your second."

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Following those 65 years and older, the following are also included in the first priority group for Seminole County:

• 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.

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After this group is vaccinated and when more doses are available, Seminole County will begin administering shots to priority group 1B, which includes:

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

The Oviedo Mall is located at 1700 Oviedo Mall Boulevard, Oviedo (entrance nearest the Food Court and Regal Cinema). Hours of operation for Monday 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). 

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