Seniors line up for COVID-19 vaccines at new site in Kissimmee

New COVID-19 vaccination site opens in Kissimmee

A new COVID-19 vaccine site in Kissimmee aims to help get underserved seniors vaccinations.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Cars lined up at Kissimmee’s Chambers Park for the new COVID-19 vaccine site's first weekend in operation. It opened on Thursday, giving out 200 shots per day to seniors on a first-come, first-served basis.

"When I learned about it on Thursday, I couldn't make it. So I said today I'll make it. Brought my sister with me," said Eudora Job, who got vaccinated on Saturday.

This site is a joint effort by the Osceola County Office of Emergency Management, the Florida Department of Health, and the Florida Department of Emergency Management. It's one of six new sites across the state aimed at giving shots to underserved senior populations who don't have anywhere close by to get them.

"The goal here is to reach out to anyone who may fall through the cracks, who doesn't necessarily have access to a retail pharmacy or a hospital," said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, talking about the new sites at a news conference in Jacksonville, earlier in the week.

Seniors in the area said it was great having it there. "I appreciate it very, very much. I'm going to tell some friends, I don't know if they know about it. So I'm going to call my friends and let them know," Job said.

Florida's governor says he hopes to open the shots to more groups of people, soon. "We're going to expand with law enforcement and classroom teachers that are 50 and up, so stay tuned for that announcement next week."

The shots are free, the site will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until they finish giving out their daily allotment of 200 shots.

The six sites are listed below:

Kissimmee City Chambers Park and Community Center 2380 Smith Street Kissimmee, FL 34744
Broward College – North Campus1000 Coconut Creek Blvd Coconut Creek, FL 33066
Edward Waters College 1658 Kings Road Jacksonville, FL 32209
Florida A & M University – Al Lawson Gym and Multipurpose Center 1800 Wahnish Way Tallahassee, FL 32310
Oak Grove Park - Father Gerard Jean-Juste Community Center 690 NE 159th Street Miami, FL 33162
Overtown – Parking Lot 1551 NW 1st Ave Miami, FL 33136

The state will work with local community organizations to proactively schedule appointments.

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Those who are interested in being contacted to schedule an appointment at these sites can either call the designated phone number for their county or visit www.myvaccine.fl.gov.