ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 on Friday hosted its second Vaccine Day along with a phone bank, bringing in a team of medical experts to answer viewers’ questions about the COVID-19 vaccine.
More than 400 calls were answered during the pair of phone banks from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
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The AdventHealth team was there to answer the calls and address concerns about how safe and effective the COVID-19 vaccines are, where to go to get a shot and what to expect after being inoculated.
Friday marked News 6′s second Vaccine Day with special COVID-related coverage in our newscasts and the third phone bank in about a month.
Dr. Timothy Hendrix from AdventHealth said the fact that the phones were once again ringing on Friday proves that many residents still have questions and may even be hesitant to roll up their sleeve.
He said one of the major concerns he addressed was about cost.
“‘Do I have to pay for the vaccine?’ And to me it’s always been free because we have been giving out vaccines for months but I think as people are starting to get out there and feel confident about getting the vaccine and they are going to their doctors’ offices, they assume they are going to pay a co-pay or something,” Hendrix said.
He assured callers that it won’t cost them anything but a provider may still ask to see their insurance information.
He and his team from AdventHealth also addressed some confusion from those who may have heard conflicting information.
“With each week news has changed so people were initially concerned about needing a booster. That seems to have dropped off as we have clarified there is no need for a booster at this point,” Hendrix said.
There were also countless people who had questions about their specific medical conditions and had nowhere else to turn. He fielded calls from people who said they had heart conditions, allergies, immune disorders, Guillain-Barre syndrome and more.
“We’re getting very specific questions about health conditions. They want that information, ‘Is it safe for me to get the vaccine?’ So we’re able to help them work through some of those conditions,” Hendrix said.
Another common theme was callers wanting to get the vaccine but not knowing where to go to get it.
For information on vaccination locations, you can click here for a county-by-county breakdown. You can also enter your ZIP code in the White House vaccine locator, available here. To get a list of locations near you, text your ZIP code to 438829.
Doses will also be available at Centra Care starting Monday, information on how to sign up is available here.
Hendrix stressed the importance of making an appointment at Centra Care.
“We have seven centers here, seven clinics, that are going to be giving the vaccine so you can go online, make your reservation so we know exactly how many people are coming in because we have to mix up the vaccine, get it ready... so those types of logistical issues, we want to make sure we know how many people are coming in,” Hendrix said.
The locations are:
- Colonial Town at 630 N. Bumby Ave. in Orlando
- Lake Nona at 9637 Lake Nona Village Place in Orlando
- Lakeland at 3637 U.S. Highway 98 North
- Orange Lake at 8201 West Irlo Bronson Highway in Kissimmee
- Sanford at 4451 West First St.
- Winter Park at 3099 Aloma Ave.
- Winter Garden at 3005 Daniels Road
Those aged 12 and older are eligible.
During News 6′s second Vaccine Day, we also heard from a local pediatrician who said parents are strongly encouraged to get their children inoculated.
“We want them to have a great summer, right, so if you’re planning on taking kids to summer camps, or anything like that, we want to make sure that they’re vaccinated, especially since their other friends and their peers may be vaccinated as well, so they can participate in all these activities without having to use a mask,” Dr. Emeline Ramos from AdventHealth said.
For more coverage on the COVID-19 vaccine, click here.