Temporary COVID-19 vaccine site opens up in Volusia County through Monday

Prioritizing vaccinations is the most efficent way to make the process go smoother. Image via AP.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the opening of a temporary, additional vaccination site at a senior community in Volusia County. 

This site, located at Crane Lakes, will provide 4,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines to seniors 65 and older through Monday. All the appointment slots have been filled, according to the Daytona Beach News Journal. 

DeSantis visited the community Friday afternoon to make the announcement.

The site’s hours of operation are listed below:

— Sunday, March 14  from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM

— Monday, March 15 from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM

The Volusia County fairgrounds is another state vaccination site by appointment only via the state registration system. Select Publix, CVS and Winn Dixie stores are also providing the vaccine within the county. Those stores can be found at the state’s vaccine locator website.

The Orlando VA Healthcare System is also offering COVID-19 vaccines for all enrolled and eligible veterans.

So far, the county has vaccinated 102,409 individuals, including 58,868 who have completed the vaccination series. 

By next week, DeSantis says more than 60% of the county’s seniors will have been vaccinated.

On Monday, vaccine eligibility will drop to those 60 and older, and people 60 to 64 won’t have to compete with nearly as many of their elders trying to get a shot.

DeSantis on Thursday said the state has probably vaccinated 3 million people 65 and older, but for sure more than 2.7 million, according to Department of Health data from Wednesday morning. Nearly 4.5 million people in that age cohort live in Florida.

Florida received its first shipment of 175,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine last week. However, the Sunshine State might not receive another shipment of that formula until the week after next, the Governor said at a Friday press conference.

As production ramps up, Florida could soon approve COVID-19 vaccines for those 55 and older and even younger age groups.