ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The FEMA COVID-19 vaccination site at Valencia College’s West Campus is winding down operations as it plans to shut down in a few weeks. To get ready for the closure, first doses will stop being administered soon.
Tuesday will be the last day that residents can get the first dose of the Pfizer formula. Second doses of Pfizer and the single-shot Johnson & Johnson formula will be provided until the site closes on May 26.
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The site had switched to Johnson & Johnson only for initial visitors but then switched back to providing first doses of Pfizer while use of the J&J formula was put on pause during an investigation into rare but dangerous blood clots in 15 women who received the shot.
On Sunday, the site started administering Johnson & Johnson once again for the first time since the 11-day moratorium but saw a low turnout, handing out less than 300 doses.
The Orange County Convention Center vaccination site also plans to close at the end of May and will stop providing first doses after Saturday.
Orange County leaders have said they want to switch to a different strategy that focuses more on smaller vaccination sites brought directly into communities to make the process simpler for residents.
“The key is to make it as convenient as possible for people so that they do not have to travel long distances to be able to get access. We now know that when we make it convenient for them, and it’s right on their street, perhaps right in their households, they will take the opportunity to do so,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said earlier this week.
As of Thursday, 8,740,620 people in Florida have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.