Orange vaccinates 100,000th person
Pace of inoculations expected to speed up with FEMA site opening
Orange County injected vaccine into its 100,000th person this week at the Orange County Convention Center, as the county creeps closer to vaccinating half of its senior population.
The pace of inoculations is expected to accelerate in the coming weeks with the opening of a FEMA site at Valencia College’s west campus, and several smaller satellite sites popping up in pockets around the region.
Also, the federal government could soon approve a Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only a single dosage and the cocktail can be stored at warmer temperatures than Moderna and Pfizer. The single-dose vaccine is about 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe cases of COVID-19, compared to 95% for Pfizer and 94.1% for Moderna, which each have a two-shot sequence.
“If Johnson & Johnson had come out first at 66%, we would’ve been ecstatic,” said Alvina Chu, the epidemiology program manager at the Florida Department of Health in Orange County. “The single-dose Johnson & Johnson is a boon for us to have in our toolbox … because it’s single-dose and because of its storage temperatures.” The nation’s leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said people should take a vaccine if it’s made available to them, rather than holding out for the more-effective Moderna or Pfizer.
“The longer one waits not getting vaccinated, the better chance the virus has to get a variant or mutation,” Fauci said.
So far about 47.2% of seniors have been vaccinated in Orange County, with restrictions expected to loosen sometime next month, opening the door for more people to be eligible for a shot. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that could come in March.
The planned FEMA sites will essentially double vaccination efforts in place by government officials. The state-run site at the convention center processes about 3,000 shots per day, while the FEMA site will do 2,000 daily plus two smaller satellite sites capable of 500 shots apiece.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he was happy to see the city’s Engelwood Neighborhood Center, off South Semoran Boulevard, included as a possible satellite location.
“That’s an area in the city that is in much need … to receive vaccinations,” he said.
Meanwhile, Orange County and AdventHealth opened sign-ups for 3,500 vaccine appointments for seniors. The shots will be administered at a site near Orlando International Airport on March 5. To register, visit ocfl.net/ vaccine.
Yesterday about 4.59% of tests returned positive for COVID-19, the lowest total in the past two weeks. While 1,091 county residents have died with the disease, Chu said her office is optimistic deaths are on the decline.
“We’re optimistic that the persons who are experiencing the most severe outcomes from this illness will decline.”
reach our team tracking vaccination efforts in Central Florida and throughout the state. rygillespie@orlandosentinel.com, shudak@orlandosentinel.com