Seminole County officials concentrating vaccination efforts on younger residents

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Florida, Seminole County Health officials are focusing on getting the vaccine into the arms of younger crowds.

A vaccine pod was set up at Seminole State College Friday, targeting students and faculty members there.

READ: J&J vaccine clinics paused in 4 states after small groups of patients have reactions; company, CDC respond

2,000 doses of the vaccine will be given out over the next two days.

Seminole County health officials say they plan to open another pod at one of the county’s high schools next week, but they’re still working out those details.

“I think it’s very important to be exactly where the students are so it’s very easy for them to access,” Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said. “It’s a very comfortable environment because they are already going to class here.”

READ: Pfizer petitions FDA for approval to use COVID-19 vaccine on 12- to 15-year-old children

Seminole State College President Dr. Georgia Lorenz says vaccinations are the key to getting the campus back to pre-pandemic conditions.

“The thing that is really lost is that on-campus energy and connectivity between the students,” Dr. Lorenz says. “So we’re really hoping Fall 2021 will look a lot more like Fall 2019.”

READ: Coronavirus: 112-year-old mother, 92-year-old son vaccinated together

Lorenz says they’ll likely see 60 percent of their students back on campus in the fall with the rest continuing online and remote courses.

According to the health department, overall, 33 percent of Seminole County’s population has been vaccinated.

Cox Media Group