Virus Q&A: Who is eligible? Can I safely take a trip?

It’s finally here.

Starting Monday, all Floridians 18 and older become eligible for vaccinations at all sites statewide, with 16- and 17-yearolds also able to get the Pfizer shot where it’s available, if a parent of guardian is with them.

Appointment slots are expected to be competitive as demand for shots still outpaces supply, even as officials are fearful young adults will be slow to get vaccinated. On Friday, more than 9,000 appointments for next week at the Orange County Convention Center were booked within 45 minutes.

Without an appointment, adults can still go to the FEMA site located at Valencia College’s west campus, where 3,000 first doses are available each day — although, starting Tuesday, only the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be offered there.

As vaccination expands, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun relaxing some guidelines for fully vaccinated people.

Here’s a list of answers to questions posed by Orlando Sentinel readers, and what we know so far.

Who is eligible for the vaccine now?: The answer to this is finally simple: As of April 5, if you’re a Florida resident and 18 years or older, you’re eligible.

Also, 16 and 17-year-olds are eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Kent Donahue, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, said the county’s portal will include an option for teens. To be vaccinated at the Orange County Convention Center, a teen must be accompanied to the site by a parent or legal guardian, Donahue said.

Now that everybody is eligible, how difficult is it to get an appointment?: That remains to be seen, but health officials are expecting intense demand for at least the first few weeks of this stage. This could also be impacted by nearly 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine at a factory in Baltimore that was spoiled by a human error. That could slow supplies to states, thus impacting the number of appointments available.

When Orange County’s portal opened Friday for the first time under the expanded criteria, more than 9,000 appointments vanished in less than an hour. Because of how swiftly appointments are booked, officials recommend pre-registering in the system prior to the portal’s opening. It hasn’t been announced when it will open next.

So how close are we to herd immunity?:

We’re making progress, but there’s a long way to go before reaching 78% of the population, the target health officials often cite. In Orange County, about 21.5% of people have received at least one vaccine dose. Statewide, nearly 6 million Floridians have received at least one shot, or about 28%.

If I don’t have a driver’s license, can I get the vaccine?: Florida’s vaccine program is only for residents. As the Orlando Sentinel reported last month, that requirement has made it difficult for the more than 775,000 undocumented immigrants in the state to receive the shot.

State officials haven’t said if the requirement will someday be dropped. But in the meantime, to be eligible under a directive from Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees, a person can show two of the following documents in place of a valid Florida

ID:

„ A deed, proof of mortgage or a rental lease agreement. „ A utility hookup, work order or utility bill that is less than two months old.

„ Mail from a bank or federal, state or local government agency that is less than two months old.

„ One proof of residential address from a person with whom the seasonal resident resides along with a statement from the person with whom the seasonal resident resides stating that the seasonal resident does reside with him or her.

I’m fully vaccinated. Can I safely travel?: Some good news on this front: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that fully vaccinated people face a low risk of infection while traveling. The agency also lessened some of its restrictions on domestic travel for fully vaccinated people, stating that they don’t need to be tested before or after travel within the United States, and they don’t need to self quarantine.

But those fully vaccinated should still wear facial coverings on planes, buses, trains and public transportation — where it’s required — as well as at airports and train stations. Fully vaccinated people should still keep that 6-foot buffer from others and frequently wash their hands while traveling, the CDC says.

If traveling internationally, the agency recommends a fully vaccinated person should get a negative test before they board a flight back to the United States — and another test several days after returning.

I’m fully vaccinated. Can I safely see friends and family who also are fully vaccinated?: More good news: Yes.

The CDC also said people fully vaccinated can gather indoors without wearing a mask and without staying 6 feet apart. You also can gather with unvaccinated people from one other household without masks or staying six feet apart. But the agency still recommends people who are fully vaccinated keep physical distance from others in public, wear facial coverings and avoid crowds and poorly ventilated areas.

“If the family, the entire family, is vaccinated, you can have a normal dinner if everyone is two weeks after vaccination,” said Dr. Raul Pino, the local state health officer.

I only want to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Where can I get it?: That’s been a really difficult question to answer, especially because the single-shot vaccine hasn’t been as widely available as officials originally hoped.

But starting Tuesday, the FEMA-run vaccine site at Valencia College’s West Campus will begin offering the one-shot vaccine exclusively, at 3,000 doses per day. Previously, the site offered mostly the two-shot Pfizer vaccine, but it switched to J&J in order to “streamline the vaccination process at the sites and eliminate the need for individuals to return for a second dose,” the Florida Division of Emergency Management said in a statement Friday.

People who got their first dose of Pfizer at Valencia West or one of its satellite clinics will still be able to get their second shots of the same vaccine there, officials said.

But there is concern about the J&J vaccine’s supply pipeline: It was revealed this week that workers at a vaccine manufacturing plant in Baltimore mixed up the ingredients several weeks ago, contaminating as many as 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. While the error didn’t affect doses currently being administered, it’s expected to delay future shipments of Johnson & Johnson doses in the United States.

The FDA has approved the Pfizer vaccine for people as young as 16. Can my teen get the vaccine too?:

Yes. State officials confirmed that when vaccine eligibility opens up on April 5, it will include 16 and 17-yearolds. Teens will be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, which is the only shot approved by the Food & Drug Administration for use in 16- and 17-year-olds. The state will be following directives from the FDA, said Jason Mahon, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health, so if the feds approve more shots for use in younger people, the state will fall in line. To get a vaccine, a teen will need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. You may also need to fill out an FDOH-issued form.