ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Public Schools kicked off a weeklong vaccination event Tuesday at county middle schools to help get more children aged 12 and up vaccinated. 

The district will be providing vaccines at a different middle school every day this week.

On Wednesday they’ll be at Liberty Middle school, at Lake Nona and Meadow woods middle schools on Thursday, and at Freedom Middle on Friday. 

Vaccines will be offered from 3:00-6:00 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and the events are open to anyone in the community, not just students and parents. 

At Gotha Middle School Tuesday, the first Middle School to offer vaccines this week, 12-year-old Landon Inscoe got his first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 

“It felt fine, I mean I feel amazing, I don’t have any side effects so far so, I mean, I’m feeling good,” he said.  

The middle schooler admits to being a little nervous at first, but in his mind the reward definitely outweighs the risk. 

“I’m excited, honestly, because I hate masks, it sucks,” he said. 

So once he’s fully vaccinated, “I will throw all my masks in the trash,” Inscoe said.  

Landon is in the demographic Orange County health leaders are urging to get vaccinated. 

“So, there’s a huge gap there we have to engage,” said Orange County State Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino at a press conference last week.

He said only about 12,000 out of the around 105,000 12-17 year olds in the county had been vaccinated. 

Landon says it feels good to know he’s making a difference. 

 “I know I can stop the spread and save lives,” he said. 

Pino said the county could be a lot closer to herd immunity if more parents like Landon’s get their kids who are eligible vaccinated. 

“In this case parents hold the key, because they make the health decision for those minors,” Pino said. 

But Landon’s mom Jamie decided to leave it up to him. 

 “I did let him make the choice so he, in my eyes, made the right one,” she said. 

Although she does admit to giving a little incentive. 

 “Now off to ice cream,” she said as the family drove away from Gotha Middle School.