- December 25, 2024
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Volusia County is asking residents for patience as it awaits new shipments of vaccines to plan future events.
A total of 2,000 seniors were vaccinated on Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 4-5 at the Daytona Stadium, with some having camped out overnight in order to receive the vaccine. It’s an unintended consequence of the event’s “first come, first served” approach, and one Patricia Boswell, administrator of the Florida Department of Health in Volusia County, said at a news briefing on Wednesday, Jan. 6, won’t be repeated.
“Things have not gone as smoothly as we would have liked,” Boswell said. “We have learned from this and we have improved our processes.”
On Thursday and Friday, Jan. 7-8, another 2,000 seniors will be vaccinated at the Dewey O. Boster Sports Complex in Deltona. Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower said registration for this event filled up within three minutes of it opening at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 5. The county said that by 4:15 p.m. the registration page had an excess of 26,000 views.
Brower said the county is working its partners to have future vaccination plans in place, but that the issue is the limited supply of vaccines.
“Let me assure you that Volusia County has the same values and principles that you do, especially when it comes to our senior citizens,” Brower said.
AdventHealth Daytona Beach has also started vaccinating public safety workers with the Pfizer vaccine. Sheriff Mike Chitwood said this event is unlike anything they’ve ever seen in the U.S.
“At the end of the day, everybody is trying to do what they can do with the limited supply of the vaccine,” Chitwood said.