ORLANDO, Fla. — The Hispanic Federation on Friday called on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to include organizations and community leaders in plans to help vaccinate the Hispanic community and protect them from COVID-19. 

As of January 21, Florida Health Department data indicated that more than 1.6 million Floridians had been vaccinated with at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but only 8% of them were Hispanic.

“We just want to work more closely with the governor and the appointed committee because it is [in] our interest that the Latino community is being taken care of the way we think and know that it is important,” Hispanic Federation Florida and Southeast Senior Director Yanidsi Velez said. “They know their community. They are trusted voices in neighborhoods and those communities in particular.”

The Florida Department of Health in Orange County partnered with the Consulate of Mexico in Orlando to help vaccinate Hispanics like Maria Rosa Dominguez.

Dominguez, 69, was able to get her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine after her appointment at the consulate. 

“I feel so lucky, and I’m really thankful for the people who helped me register,” Dominguez said. “I feel privileged to have received the vaccine. I know a lot of people are struggling to book an appointment and the number of vials available is diminishing.”

Health department offices in Seminole and Brevard counties have bilingual staff on-site to help non-English speakers, their spokespersons said. Seminole County’s office is identifying Spanish-speaking opportunities at mobile sites for when more vaccines are received, and provides all vital vaccine information in Spanish on its website.

In Brevard, Spanish speakers can receive assistance at all of the county’s 17 libraries, a health department spokesperson said.