LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – It was a busy New Year’s Eve day outside the Cooper Memorial Library in Clermont where people 65 or older waited in their cars to get their Covid-19 immunization shot.
The majority of people had made an appointment by phone--but for others like 68-year-old Ken Wilde, the process has been frustrating.
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“I’ve been looking online at the Lake County Florida gov website and it says that starting tomorrow it’s available for walk-in but now I came up here to verify which location to go to but they say something completely different. So I have no option for tomorrow. I don’t know where to go,” Wilde said. “It’s very confusing cause online it says starting tomorrow it’s walk-ins only and yet here he said absolutely not it’s appointments only and you can’t make an appointment on the phone. I tried for three days and you just can’t get through.”
On Wednesday, Lake County officials with the department of health and the emergency center addressed the phone line situation.
“In my professional career, I’ve never seen a call center take so many calls,” Tommy Carpenter, emergency operations manager said. “I understand concerns from residents in getting information being able to initially to schedule an appointment for immunizations.”
The Florida Department of Health in Lake County said on Friday they are not sure when the next shipment of vaccines will arrive, but once they do have them, they will inform the community.
“The Florida Department of Health in Lake County is no longer scheduling COVID-19 immunization appointments but will honor previously scheduled appointments,” a news release from Lake County officials read. “Currently, the Florida Department of Health is only distributing the first dose. Persons who have received their first dose will be contacted to complete the two-dose series.”
Among other updates to Lake County’s vaccine distribution for 65 or older are: as of Friday, Jan. 1, the Cooper Memorial Library site will be closed, and operations will be moved to the Clermont Arts and Recreation Center.
The vaccine site at the Clermont Arts and Recreation Center is only taking seniors with appointments. No walk-ups are allowed.
For more information about vaccine sites in Lake County click here.