Senior citizens camp out in Daytona Beach for COVID-19 vaccine
There was a traffic nightmare Monday morning to get a COVID-19 vaccine near Daytona Stadium. It was caused as people tried to camp overnight to secure a spot for the vaccine.
To ensure that did not happen again Tuesday morning, the gates of Daytona Stadium opened at 6:15 p.m. Monday to allow up to 1,000 people to park in the parking lot overnight, instead of on the side of the road.
According to the City of Daytona Beach, the vaccination site at Daytona Stadium reached capacity at 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, proving that the demand for a vaccine remains high, as it was on Monday.
The caravan of cars that filed into the 64-acre Daytona Stadium Monday evening saw wide grins, waves and cheers, relieved to be spending the next 12 hours or so camped out.
Those eligible seniors inside will be getting their first COVID-19 vaccine dose on Tuesday.
"We go home with the vaccine; we'll do whatever, right?" Ginger Dupont said.
Those let inside the stadium have been camping inside their cars with temperatures that dropped into the lower 40s overnight.
Some drove to the site prepared, with full-sized RVs and snacks.
"We have blankets and we have pillows, so we're OK," Mary Wilde said.
"You know, I just don't think we have anything better to do right now. I want to be well, I want to be able to see my kids and my grandchildren. It means a lot,鈥� Carolyn Motz said.
Many of the seniors say the cold weather is a small price to pay to get a shot at reconnecting with family again after months of social distancing.
"I say we're lucky. We're very lucky to get in here. We were going to come last night and then we chickened out, it was too cold, but then we saw friends came and they got it, so we said we'd try it," Dupont said.
Daytona Beach police said Monday's wait times were long, but people were in good spirits.
In contrast to Monday morning, the seniors who were at the site Monday night got to enjoy on-site restroom facilities, as well.