Where to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Central Florida
Florida’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts are picking up again after last week’s brutal winter storms caused widespread delays, and the pace is expected to accelerate markedly next week with the opening of four large federally operated vaccine sites, including Valencia College’s West Campus in Orlando.
Meanwhile, Walmart has announced a vaccine drivethru site for eligible residents at its store at 3101 Princeton Ave. in Orlando. Vaccinations there will begin Thursday, Feb. 25, and last for three weeks. Appointments are required and limited. Sign up at walmart.com/covidvaccine for an appointment.
Publix reopened its vaccination appointment portal Wednesday morning, but available slots filled quickly. The site will open again Friday, Feb. 26, at 7 a.m. for appointments at select Publix pharmacies in Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk and Seminole counties. Expect the usual high demand.
Vaccinations are also underway at several hundred other locations across the state — including select Walmart, Sam’s Club and Winn-Dixie stores — and are expected to be available late this week at CVS Health and its Navarro Discount Pharmacy and CVS Pharmacy y más, which cater to Hispanic consumers.
All vaccination programs in Florida, except for those run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, follow the priorities of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who ordered that only Florida residents 65 and older, front-line healthcare workers, residents deemed extremely vulnerable because of other health problems, and nursing home residents and staff be vaccinated in this first phase.
And only hospitals can vaccinate people in the extremely vulnerable category. Statewide, only a handful of facilities, including AdventHealth and Orlando Health, have received vaccine doses for this purpose.
The state offers a statewide preregistration system that will notify registrants when appointments are available in their area. Florida residents can visit myvaccine.fl.gov/ to sign up. Once appointments are available, individuals will be contacted by phone, text or email.
Note that anyone seeking the vaccination will need to provide documentation of being a Florida resident or a front-line healthcare worker providing services in Florida. Examples of accepted documentation include a valid Florida driver’s license or Florida identification card or any two of the following:
A deed, mortgage, monthly mortgage statement, mortgage payment booklet or residential rental or lease agreement.
A utility hookup or work order that is not more than 2 months old.
A utility bill that is not more than 2 months old.
Mail from a bank or other financial institution — including checking, savings, or investment account statements — that is not more than 2 months old.
Mail from a government agency, such as a tax bill showing a Florida address, that is not more than 2 months old.
The list below is the latest county-by-county information for Central Florida, but vaccine availability can change quickly. Please check the sites below and look for the latest at OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus for last-minute updates.
Caution: Beware of scams. Do not fill out Eventbrite vaccine registration forms unless they are provided through a county’s website or the links in this list, and do not register for a vaccination appointment that requires payment. However, some providers ask for insurance information.
Brevard
State-operated sites: COVID-19 vaccinations from the Florida Department of Health in Brevard are available on an appointment-only, drive-through basis for those age 65 and older and healthcare workers who provide direct patient care. Those obtaining a first dose appointment for the Moderna vaccine will automatically be scheduled for the second dose 28 days from the initial vaccination date.
Pre-register for vaccine appointments through the state’s sign-up system at myvaccine.fl.gov or by calling 866-201-5420 (or 833-476-1525 for the hearing-impaired). You will be notified when appointments are available.
The county is using its clinic in Viera, at 2555 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, to administer the vaccine.
If possible, review the COVID Vaccine Fact Sheet and print and complete the screening questions on the COVID-19 Vaccine Screening and Consent Form prior to your appointment. This will help speed up the process.
For more information: brevard.floridahealth.gov.
Other vaccine providers in Brevard: Publix, Walmart and Winn-Dixie are administering vaccines through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
Lake
State-operated sites: The state Department of Health in Lake County is offering free COVID-19 immunizations at the former Sears store in Lake Square Mall by appointment only to front-line health care workers and residents 65 and older. Pre-register for an appointment at myvaccine. fl.gov or call 1-866-201-6909 (or 833-476-1031 for TTY users). Appointments are based on vaccine availability.
First vaccine doses will no longer be available at the Amazon Distribution Site, 7453 Republic Dr., in Groveland. Due to overwhelming demand, that site will be used strictly for administering second doses.
Also, the state will continue to provide second doses of the vaccine at St. Patrick’s Church, 6803 Old U.S. Highway 441 in Mount Dora. Recipients must present photo identification and the CDC vaccination card provided to them during their first-dose vaccination. If you are not contacted by the due date on the card provided at your appointment, please call (352) 268-9299.
For more information:
Call (352) 268-9299, text COVIDUPDATE to 888777 or visit lake.florida.gov.
Other vaccine providers in Lake: Publix, Winn-Dixie.
Orange
State-operated sites: Appointments for the Florida Department of Health in Orange County’s vaccination site at the Orange County Convention Center site are currently full. Sign up for alerts for future availability. Visit ocfl.net/Vaccine for registration information, call 1-844-770-8548 or e-mail COVID19Support@cdrmaguire.com. Residents trying to get an appointment are encouraged to pre-register so they can be notified when the county’s portal reopens, which will happen when more vaccine become available.
If you are not a Florida resident and have already gotten your first dose at the convention center, the Department of Health will honor your appointment to complete the vaccine series. However, if you are not a resident and have not received your first dose yet, you need to cancel your appointment.
When vaccinations resume, seniors who lack transportation may qualify for a free ride from LYNX. You MUST have a scheduled appointment first at the Orange County Convention Center before calling 407-836-3111 to request a scheduled ride.
For more information: http://orange.floridahealth. gov/, 407-858-1400, download the OCFL Alert app, or text OCFLCOVID to 888777 to receive updates on your cell phone.
Other vaccine providers in Orange: Publix, Walmart.
Osceola
State-operated sites: The Florida Department of Health in Osceola County uses the statewide pre-registration system to make vaccine appointments. Go to myvaccine.fl.gov or call 1-866201-6507 to pre-register. The shots are being administered at Centro Cristiano Dios De Pactos Church, 1130 Simmons Rd., Kissimmee.
Anyone who received an initial dose of vaccine from FDOH-Osceola should be contacted to schedule a second dose appointment. These individuals are asked to monitor their email and not to submit the COVID19 vaccination appointment request form. If you have not been contacted two days prior to the second dose due date, call 407-552-0120 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The county also is partnering with Prescriptions Unlimited in St. Cloud to provide vaccinations to homebound patients 65 years and older and home health providers. Providers seeking vaccinations for their staff or patients may call 407-892-7166 or email covid19@unlimitedrx.com to schedule an appointment. Appointments are required.
For more information: osceola.floridahealth.gov/.
Other vaccine providers in Osceola: Publix, Walmart.
Polk
State-operated sites: All appointments this week for COVID-19 vaccines in Polk County have been filled. The
county is continuing to use its own vaccination enrollment process at https:// register.polk.health instead of opting into the statewide registration system. Enrollments can be made online or by calling the COVID-19 Vaccination Call Center at 863-298-7500. Appointment availability is based on the supply of vaccine.
The shots are administered by appointment only at 1290 Golfview Ave, Bartow.
For more information: floridahealth.gov/alerts.html
Other vaccine providers in Polk: Publix, Walmart.
Seminole
State-operated sites: Seminole County uses its own vaccine reservation system through EventBrite. com. Appointments are filled for this week but available starting March 6. Eligible Florida residents include those 65 and older as well as front-line healthcare workers. Register at EventBrite. com or call 407-665-0000.
The county is using the former Sears store at the Oviedo Mall, 1360 Oviedo Mall Blvd., to administer the vaccine. Please bring identification with your birth date to your appointment for check in. Non-hospital healthcare workers should also present a valid proof of employment such as an employer ID or pay stub, etc.). Proof of Florida residency or semi-residency is also required. PrepareSeminole.org.
Publix.
For more information: Other vaccine providers in Seminole:
Volusia
Because of vaccine shipment delays, the Volusia County Fairgrounds COVID19 second-dose vaccination event originally scheduled for Friday, Feb. 19, has been rescheduled to Saturday, Feb. 27. Residents should have been contacted by the state’s registration platform, Sharecare, to confirm the new date (be sure to check your “junk” email folder if you have trouble finding the notification). Anyone unable to make the re-scheduled appointment can call the county’s Citizen Information Center at 1-866345-0345 to set up another opportunity.
Appointments for all other county vaccination clinics should be made through the statewide pre-registration system by visiting myvaccine.fl.gov or by calling 1-866-201-7314. While the first-dose clinics have transitioned to walk-up, or indoor events, pre-registration and appointments are still required.
For more information: volusia.org/coronavirus or call 1-866-345-0345.
Other vaccine providers for Volusia: Publix, WinnDixie.
AdventHealth
All appointments have been booked for first-round shots, but those due for a second shot will be vaccinated as scheduled. Community health-care providers; employees’ families who are 65 years and older; patients of AdventHealth Medical Group who are 65 years and older and a small number of patients deemed extremely vulnerable.
For more information: To receive alerts about vaccine availability, visit www.CoronavirusVaccineAlerts.com.
Orlando Health
No first-dose appointments are available. If you received your first vaccination at an Orlando Health facility and still need a second-dose, you should have been contacted to schedule that appointment. If you haven’t, call (877) 321-2684.
For more information: Check orlandohealth. com/Covid-19/vaccine for updates.
Orlando VA
The Orlando VA Medical Center is providing COVID19 vaccinations at two locations to eligible veterans 65 and over, veterans living in congregate settings (such as nursing homes), homeless veterans, hemodialysis patients, those who have undergone or are awaiting solid organ transplants, patients with spinal cord injuries or veterans receiving chemotherapy in a clinic or hospital.
Also, the VA is vaccinating veterans under age 65 who are employed as firefighters, police officers, corrections officers, food and agricultural workers, U.S. Postal Service staff, and those working in manufacturing, grocery stores, public transit, the education sector as well as daycare workers who have not yet received the first dose.
To be eligible, veterans must already receive care at the VA or be eligible to receive care at the VA.
Vaccination clinics are being held by appointment and for walk-ins at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona Tuesday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m, and at the Lake Baldwin VA Medical Center Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
To schedule an appointment, call 407-631-0499 Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
For more information: Visit orlando.va.gov/services/ covid-19-vaccines.asp or call 407-631-0499.