Navigate the Orange County Convention Center vaccination site

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The Orange County Convention Center, which has been offering coronavirus tests to tens of thousands of people for months, now also offers the county’s first large-scale vaccination site, confusing some who arrive to seek tests or the injections.

To help you navigate the test site, News 6 drove the route to the convention center and created a detailed map.

If you are heading to another Central Florida vaccination site outside of the OCCC, this article lists all current sites in the region.

Before people go to the convention center for the COVID-19 vaccine, there are several things people should do.

1. As of December 31, only three priority groups in Florida are currently included in this round of COVID-19 vaccines: health workers, long-term care workers and residents, as well as people 65 and older. Make sure you meet these qualifications before making an appointment.

2. You must have an appointment before arriving at the OCCC vaccine site. Anyone in Florida can sign up for this site. Visit OCFL.net/vaccine to begin that process.

3. After creating an account, users are given a barcode to confirm their account, but individuals still need to complete the process of selecting a date for both the first and second doses of the vaccine. Both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two doses. After doing that, you should receive a QR code in an email with the date and time of your appointment. It looks like the example above. Orange County has provided step-by-step instructions on how to register here.

4. With a screenshot or a printed version of your QR code and valid ID, go to the OCCC vaccine website no more than 30 minutes before the time of your appointment. The address is 9400 Universal Boulevard, Orlando.

People are asked to have a full tank of gas, food or water. Waiting times can be longer than an hour. Orange County Department of Health spokesman Kent Donahue said the goal is to reduce waiting time to less than an hour.

Direction to the vaccine site line

Once in the convention center area, follow the signs along the route to the North Concourse for vaccines. The site is located near the entrance of the OCCC. COVID-19 testing takes place at the Destination Parkway Garage.

News 6 drove the route to the site west on the Beachline Expressway from I-4 to the International Drive exit. Take the International Drive exit north and follow it all the way to Convention Way where you will turn right north, but instead of entering the vaccine site, go all the way to Universal Boulevard east and turn the entrance to the vaccine line in .

Watch the videos below for details on how to navigate to the site: