SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – For the next three weeks, you will no longer need to book an appointment if you want to get a COVID-19 vaccine at the two fixed vaccination sites run by Seminole County.
The county is now taking walk-ins only at the Oviedo Mall and North Branch Library until June 19, which is when the sites will close for good.
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“We will transition from being the primary source to a safety net,” Seminole County’s Emergency Manager Alan Harris said. “We shouldn’t be the primary source for vaccine, your local pharmacy, your doctor’s office should be that and what’s happening.”
But before the county transitions away from offering vaccines at fixed sites, it will be accepting walk-ups, keeping the North Branch Library opened for a reason, as vaccination rates are lower in that part of the county.
“Right now, 52.3% for total number of vaccinated that are eligible here in Seminole,” Harris said. “Longwood is high 56%, Casselberry 51% and Sanford it was in the 30s, much lower than the rest of the county.”
Kenneth Bentley has lived in Sanford his whole life and is a community activist. He believes by now accessibility isn’t the issue, encouraging his Sanford neighbors to take advantage of the vaccine while it’s here.
“I got the double dose of Pfizer,” Bentley said. “Just educate yourself on this vaccine and please take advantage of it. We always talk about underserved communities, they already brought it to the underserved so we don’t have an excuse anymore. We really don’t.”