Orange County residents 40 and older can make an appointment to get a Covid-19 vaccine starting Monday

Beginning Monday at 9 a.m., Orange County residents between the ages of  40-59 can register for Covid-19 vaccine appointments at the Orange County Convention Center’s drive-thru site, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said at a press conference Thursday.

Appointments can be made through the county’s Covid-19 Vaccine Information site: ocfl.net/vaccine. Residents can get their shots without leaving their car at the convention center, which is open six days a week. Up to 3,000 doses per day can be administered at the site, said Demings.

The mayor’s decision to expand eligibility to younger residents doesn’t follow current state guidelines, which still limits vaccines to residents 60 and older. Demmings decided to lower the age range because several sites across the county weren’t booked to capacity. When asked by a reporter during the press conference whether he had to get permission from the state, Demings said no.

“I told you before I don’t feel like I have to get permission to be the mayor of Orange County from Tallahassee,” said Demings. “We’re going to make decisions in the best interests of our community here using our resources.” Still, the mayor said he talked with state officials and called it a “partnership.”

When asked if it was going to be a problem to deal with a potential influx of people seeking the vaccine, the mayor said he didn’t think it would be a problem. He said there’s been additional capacity at existing vaccine locations around the county where available supplies have gone unused. He said he also talked with White House officials who said a directive will be issued to all states that they make vaccines available to all adults by May 1.

Demings said that 57 percent of people 60 and older have received at least one dose of a vaccine. That number goes up to 67 percent of residents 65 and older. Overall, 15 percent of all Orange County residents have received at least one shot. “We are making remarkable progress,” said Demings, adding that the coronavirus remains a threat.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 119,224 cases have been reported in Orange County with 1,158 deaths, according to the mayor.