MELBOURNE, Fla. – This deep into the pandemic, OMNI Healthcare said there are still hundreds of people getting tested at its facilities every day, and next week, some of those patients will also be able to get the first vaccines.
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Medical director Dr. Craig Deligdish said the first doses of the Moderna vaccine will be for frontline workers, and for people over the age of 65, and also for people over 50 with a chronic illness.
“We at OMNI are prepared to administer three to 4,000 doses to residents of Brevard County, upwards of 800 doses a day,” Dr. Deligdish said.
The OMNI president and CEO also presented an optimistic outlook at vaccinating the general public.
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“It is very doable to get as many people who are willing to receive this vaccine, vaccinated in the next three months,” Deligdish said.
That timeline is potentially a lot sooner than what Brevard County’s emergency management director said Thursday.
In its bi-weekly COVID-19 update, the county said the wait could be as long as next summer.
“We really need everyone to be patient,” John Scott of the emergency management department said.
OMNI said it will all depend on how many vaccines they get in the weeks and months following the first shipments next week.
Joyce Reynolds was tested Friday for COVID-19 and said she would also look to get the vaccine.
“I guess being a senior and being under medical care, it makes me feel a little safer,” she said.
Just like OMNI’s drive-thru testing, Dr. Deligdish said for vaccinations, patients would also need to make an appointment.