ORLANDO, Fla. — The first round of Moderna vaccines have been provided to Orange County first responders.
What You Need To Know
- Orange County Moderna vaccine distribution began Saturday
- 200 first responders are the first to receive this vaccine
- Orange County is expected to reveal more vaccine distribution plans on Monday
The Florida Department of Health in Orange County began vaccinations for pre-registered EMTs and paramedics at 7 a.m. Saturday morning at the Orange County Convention Center.
County leaders say this is a major turning point for the county’s pandemic response.
This firefighter is one of the first to receive a Moderna vaccine here at the @OCCC. Vaccinations for EMTs and first responders began here at 7am @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/UfgOLWG0kc
— Rachael Krause (@RKrause_News) December 26, 2020
After months of working on the frontlines of the pandemic, Orange County firefighter Juan Torres now at the front of the line to get the first dose of the Moderna vaccine.
“After so long and running so many patients, at this point I wasn’t even worried. I’m doing it more for my family,” he said.
Months of waiting is over in a few seconds.
“It’s a positive step,” said Kent Donahue with the Florida Department of Health.
The first 200 Orange County EMTs and paramedics received their first dose of the vaccine on Saturday and vaccines will continue through the week as part of the initial 16,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine the county received this week.
Crews will work through New Year’s Eve and Day to distribute the vaccines.
More vaccine shipments are expected in the coming weeks so that more at-risk residents can be inoculated.
“It’s a major turn in the shift of this pandemic. We’re excited, as I said before, now we’re going to take the offensive and fight this virus,” Donahue added.
Vaccine distribution is providing peace of mind to those who’ve been fighting coronavirus firsthand.
“I’ve been running COVID patients for the past nine months, ten months, and I have family visiting, especially my parents are kind of sick. The least I can do is protect them,” Torres explained.
Leaders with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County say they plan to outline further details about Orange County’s vaccine distribution plans on Monday.