New COVID-19 vaccination site coming to library on Orange Blossom Trail

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A new COVID-19 vaccination is opening at the South Trail branch of the Orange County Public Library, giving residents more options to get inoculated.

The site will open Monday at 4600 S. Orange Blossom Trail. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said it will operate for several weeks.

According to Orange County’s website, the federal vaccination site will be walk-up only and will offer free vaccines from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., while supplies last, seven days a week. No appointment is necessary, officials said.

[TRENDING: Sheriff: Man cut off grandpa’s ears | Cops kill man suspected of fatally shooting his mom | SpaceX launch creates crazy clouds]

“All of these opportunities for vaccinations in various areas around the county are a positive message for our residents,” Demings said.

Work is also underway on a new pilot initiative that began Monday in collaboration with the Florida Department of Emergency Management. About 300 state canvassers went into the Pine Hills, Rosemont and Lockhart communities of Orlando to determine whether it’s possible to vaccinate those residents and others in vulnerable areas from their homes.

Vaccines have not yet been distributed.

“Later this week, the canvassing teams will move to other underserved neighborhoods and we hope to by mid-week begin actually providing vaccinations in people’s homes identified through this process,” Demings said.

So far, the effort has just focused on providing residents with information about the vaccine and providing them with details about how they could potentially get vaccinated in their home, if they qualify.

“Within the next 24 hours or so we’re working with the state to identify additional neighborhoods that again have scored high on that social vulnerability index score and typically, in order to score high, it means that a particular neighborhood or demographic has been identified as being disproportionately impacted in receiving the vaccine so the goal is to increase the number of the socially vulnerable,” Demings said.

He said the push will be particularly helpful in getting minority residents better access to the shots.

“Typically these poor neighborhoods, oftentimes, they may be Black or brown communities where we will be going into those areas with these people who have been identified as having health vulnerabilities, we will provide opportunity rather than them having to drive and be taken somewhere else to get the vaccine,” Demings said.

Use the form below to sign up for the ClickOrlando.com 4pm Trending newsletter, sent every weekday.