KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health in Osceola County is holding COVID-19 pre-registration events to help people pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine.
FDOH-Osceola County partnered with the National Institutes of Health and CaRE 2 Health Equity at the University of Florida to hold the pre-registration event at St. James AME Zion Church in Kissimmee Saturday.
Linwall Thomas drove from Poinciana to sign up.
“It went pretty well,” Thomas said. “I believe everybody should get vaccinated and stay safe.”
But Jeremy Lanier, the FDOH-Osceola County spokesman, said that is not happening at the state supported vaccination site.
“At our vaccination site we’re not seeing a tremendous number of Hispanic residents and African American residents,” Lanier said.
That is why health officials are partnering with local churches and organizations to go directly into the community to get results for these populations.
Armed with computers and tables, they helped dozens of people pre-register on the state’s vaccination website as well as answered questions about the vaccine.
Annette Burke with St. James AME Zion Church said if it weren’t for events like this, many people wouldn’t know how to get the shots.
“There’s so many people that didn’t have access to computers, so many people didn’t have transportation,” Burke said. “It’s such a blessing to see the people come out. We’re just so thankful.”
Lanier adds the health department is doing what it can to make sure everyone gets the chance to get vaccinated.
“It’s very important for all of our residents to have equal access to vaccinations, so that’s the reason behind events like these,” Lanier said.
The health department is planning several other pre-registration events across the county. Details on those events haven’t been released yet.
Click or tap here for more information on COVID-19 testing and vaccinations in Osceola County.