More than a three-hour wait paid off for Art Jones and the 999 others who lined up to get the COVID-19 vaccine Saturday in Citrus County.

“I got here about 6:30 in the morning,” Jones said, “And came in from the wrong side, so I had to go down and make a u-turn and get to the back of the line, and you just gotta have a lot of patience.”

Patience is the key word but Citrus County Health Officer Tito Rubio is also making sure no one is wasting their time.

“When we reach the 1,000 number, then we close off and tell everybody else who’s out in line and trying to get in and we say we are done for today so they don’t have to sit here and wait for six hours to be told they are not getting a vaccine,” he said.

Officials with the Citrus County Health Department are being very efficient. Two cars per tent - the goal is to get residents in and out as quickly as possible.

Jones added, “My 28-year-old son lives with me and so I want to get some protection because he is out and about, so I figured i better get here early and try.”

He made sure to mention that he’s thankful he got in, but others weren’t so lucky and were turned away. 

The health department is just waiting for more vaccines to come in in order to host another drive-thru clinic.

“When is my next one, i’m not sure it’s the best answer I have for you,” Rubio said, “But just like every time we have something, we will get it out to the media, social media. Obviously it’s working because I got more than 1,000 people here today.”

He said his personal goal is to make sure everyone in Citrus County who wants to get vaccinated gets the vaccine. 

The state is working on a more effective online appointment system, and Citrus County will be one of the first counties to implement that.