Convention Center COVID-19 vaccination site open to residents outside of Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – On the first day COVID-19 vaccinations began for elderly residents at the Orange County Convention Center, officials made a major change that will open the site to more people.

The director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, Dr. Raul Pino, was adamant late Monday afternoon when plans were revealed for the site that only Orange County residents aged 65 and older would be able to shoot there.

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“Now all these services are only intended for residents of Orange and we are going to validate your property with a correct ID. So when you enter the information (online), make sure it matches the ID you are going to provide, ”Pino said Monday.

The site first opened for vaccinations on Tuesdays at 9:00 a.m., and by about 1:00 p.m., the county announced it will no longer be reserved solely for residents of Orange County.

No rationale was given for the change, but Pino did say on Monday that there could be logistical issues with admitting only Orange County residents.

“So Orange County will be challenging because we are such a central location and such a magnet for the surrounding communities. Other people from the surrounding communities will try to get vaccinated here, so that will be interesting to see if people stick to it, ”said Pino.

The goal is to vaccinate 1,500 people per day in the convention center.

Appointments are required and can be made online here. However, after the first day, the online registration portal was closed after more than 30,000 appointments were made within 24 hours.

“Right now, the department is closing the CDR HealthPRO portal for further appointments,” read an email from the Orange County DOH. “The department will provide an update when the system is reopened.”

The vaccine sites of the Osceola and Seminole districts are also accessible to non-residents of the province. Click or tap here for more information about those provinces.