ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Valencia College's FEMA-supported COVID-19 vaccination site began offering both first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday, but inclement weather and lightning forced temporary pauses more than once.

What You Need To Know

  • First-dose Pfizer vaccine returns to FEMA-supported sites

  • Storms interrupt vaccinations off and on Tuesday

  • Change in operations will help make up for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause

People were told to wait in their cars as heavy rains pounded Valencia College's West Campus site Tuesday morning and again after 1 p.m. Eastern Time.

However, once the storm and lighting passed, officials gave the all-clear to resume giving out the vaccine.

The vaccination site in Orlando will offer both first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine beginning Tuesday, as a result of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause.

Up to 3,000 first doses of the vaccine will be offered daily at Valencia College’s West Campus, as well as the state’s three other federally-supported sites in Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa. The sites are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Before the pause, those sites had recently switched to offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and second doses only of the Pfizer vaccine.

The FEMA-supported sites are scheduled to close on May 26. State officials say they understand residents may have concerns they will not be able to receive their second dose before the sites close.

“The state and FEMA are committed to ensuring that all individuals who receive their first dose at a federally-supported vaccination site are able to receive their second dose,” Samantha Bequer, press secretary for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, told Spectrum News 13 in an email.