FEMA-supported vaccine site at Valencia College offering 1st doses of Pfizer once again

Site reopens after inclement weather closure

ORLANDO, Fla. – The vaccination site at Valencia College West Campus is offering first doses of the Pfizer vaccine again following the suspension of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine last week.

However, the site needed to close on two occasions Tuesday due to storms moving through Central Florida. The site closed first thing in the morning after 7 a.m. and then again at 12:45 p.m.

“This decision has been made out of an abundance of caution for the safety of the public and site staff,” the Florida public information officer for the site said in an email.

All people already registered and waiting on vaccines were accommodated using the site’s indoor facilities. Those who were in line prior to registering were asked to wait in their vehicles.

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The site reopened at 3 p.m., although officials are monitoring the weather and the situation could change.

Heriberto Centeno and his wife went to the site on Tuesday morning to get their shots.

“In the beginning, I tell my wife we are going to take the Johnson & Johnson because it’s only one shot but after I hear in the news that six women got problems with blood clots, I decided well we are going to take Pfizer,” Centeno said.

Rick Sheafer, 70, got his first dose on Tuesday as well. Sheafer lives in Sanford and said he couldn’t get an appointment through pharmacies near his area.

“I tried getting into Publix because it’s down the street from me and I never could get in,” Sheafer said.

Orange County leaders said there’s a big drop in demand for the vaccine. On Monday, Mayor Jerry Demings said thousands of appointments are still available at the Orange County Convention Center.

“I’m not sure what has caused the apparent slowdown in the rate of people sign up to get vaccinated. But we’re going to do everything we can to encourage people to get vaccinated,” Demings said.

State officials said the federally-supported site at Valencia College will be able to administer up to 3,000 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine per day.


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About the Author:

Ezzy Castro is a multimedia journalist on News 6's morning team who has a passion for telling the stories of the people in the Central Florida community. Ezzy worked at WFOR CBS4 in South Florida and KBMT in Beaumont, Texas, where she covered Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Being from Miami, Ezzy loves Cuban coffee and croquetas!

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