Central Florida counties prepare for COVID-19 vaccine booster shot rollout

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — While health leaders work to get more people on board with the COVID-19 vaccine, it may be time for those who’ve already had two shots to line up for a third.

“We’re ready to go,” Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said. “We’re excited to be able to offer boosters to the community.”

READ: State-run COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment site opens in Brevard County

It’s not official yet, but the Biden administration is expected to announce a plan for most Americans to get booster shots as early as this week.

Pfizer submitted initial data to the Food and Drug Administration on Monday, recommending a third shot after eight months.

READ: Gov. DeSantis opens monoclonal antibody treatment site in Orlando

Channel 9 reached out to the Orange County Health Department to find out how doling out the booster shots will be handled locally, but health officials said they don’t have details just yet.

Seminole County officials said they are prepared.

“We’ve had a booster plan for a while,” Harris said. “We just didn’t know when that would be able to be launched.”

READ: Walgreens, CVS to offer booster shots for immunocompromised people

The county released appointments for immunocompromised people on Tuesday. Click here for information.

If approved, the general public would not be able to start getting boosters until mid-September.

Health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities are expected to be eligible first.

A spokesperson for the governor’s office said she believes the infrastructure in Florida is already in place to give out the booster shots because of the initial vaccine rollout.

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