Highlands County to offer COVID-19 vaccines to residents 65+ starting Jan. 5

HIGHLANDS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Highlands County officials have officially announced plans to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to residents 65+ this week.

Starting Tuesday, Jan. 5, the Highlands County health department will set up a vaccination site for the 65+ population in the community at Lakeshore Mall, located at 901 U.S. 27 North in Sebring.

Vaccines will be administered on an appointment-only basis. Residents can register for appointments online starting Monday, Jan. 4 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To access the registration portal, visit http://bit.ly/HCvaccine.

At this time, Highlands County officials say they do not have a definitive number of vaccines that will be allocated to the community each week. Because of this, appointment registration will be done virtually on Mondays for that week’s available doses. Once those appointment slots have been filled for the week, the registration portal will be temporarily closed.

The portal will then reopen at 8 a.m. each Monday and will close when all spots have been filled for that week.

The registration system will allow residents to register themselves and choose a date and time that works best for them during the upcoming week.

The first day vaccines will be administered is Jan. 5, and the vaccination site will be open from noon to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays until further notice.

Those who register for a vaccination appointment will need to provide proof they are 65 or older. Proof of insurance will not be required.

To access the site at Lakeshore Mall, use the east or west entrance nearest the old Kmart location. Signs will direct residents where to go.

Everyone is asked to wear a mask while on site.

A pre-vaccine form will need to be completed by each person who wants to be vaccinated and will be filled out during the intake process at the site. Residents who register for a vaccine should plan on being on site for roughly an hour to get through all the stations at the site.

The county’s current allotment of vaccines is the Moderna vaccine.