VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Vaccinations got underway on Thursday at the Volusia County Fairgrounds. The county only handed out 500 doses to seniors 65 and older with appointments.
“Unbelievably lucky that’s how I feel,” Sally Daykin said.
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Daykin, a retired Volusia County teacher, came to the site with her husband Cliff Weikal. She said it took a couple of tries and a lot of patience to score an appointment.
“I sat there with my little iPad. Kept refreshing the event page and I must have just literally hit it boom! because it came up there was nothing... it was zero zero zero all the way down,” Daykin said.
Dorothy Swanson, who is battling terminal cancer, was in good spirits after she got the shot on Thursday. Her friend made the appointment for her.
“At first, I didn’t think I would get it, I thought I have terminal cancer, I’ll let somebody else have my shot, and this is going to sound terrible but then I saw so many politicians putting up their sleeve and I figured, I’m just as important,” Swanson said.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday that 22 Publix pharmacies in Volusia County will be administering the coronavirus vaccines to seniors.
He said it’s an expansion of the partnership with the company that began earlier this month. DeSantis said the stores can vaccinate over 100-125 people a day. Though they must register online to get an appointment first.
[RELATED: More Florida Publix pharmacies to begin offering COVID-19 vaccine]