POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County school district teamed up with the Florida Department of Health for their first pop-up clinic on Tuesday in Lakeland.

What You Need To Know

  • Polk County schools working on next pop-up vaccine clinic

  • Many people turned out to the first one on Tuesday in Lakeland

  • The free event offers all three vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson

  • Nurses were at the event to answer questions about the vaccines

“You can take all the precautions in the world but are the people next to you, taking the same precaution,” questioned Polk County dad, Rick James.  

James said he was against the vaccine before but his daughter is going back to school this year and he’s concerned about the mask mandate being dropped. So, he brought his entire family to get vaccinated.

“I’m not into having unnecessary chemicals shot into my body,” said James. “You can say what you want to say it is but I don't know what it is at the end of the day but my daughter is going back to school now, so we all came to get a Pfizer shot.”

Polk County’s COVID-19 cases spiked in recent months. The partnership with the school district and health department seeks to bridge the gap.

These types of events are important because vaccinations are our best defense against COVID-19,” said Pamela Acosta-Torres with the health department. “We want to bring our community together to protect them, to protect each other, so we want to make it accessible to everyone, including students and the entire community.”

Kevin Strickland and his son Dreyton Strickland were also at the pop-up vaccination clinic on Tuesday. Kevin said it was important for his son to get the vaccine before he went back to school.

“I got my vaccine back in May,” said Kevin. “It’s each parent's decision on whether they want their kid to wear a mask this year. I know sometimes it can be uncomfortable wearing it all day but when you’re talking about saving lives, that’s the most important thing.”

Dreyton said he agreed with his dad, adding that he has underlying conditions so his decision to get vaccinated was to keep himself and those around him safe.

“I got Pfizer,” said Dreyton. “The nurses at the clinic told me more about the vaccine than I knew before.”

The FDOH-Polk partnered with the Republican Club of Lakeland to host the free COVID-19 vaccination event. Nurses were available to answer questions about Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.  

There are no requirements for Polk County public school employees or students to get vaccinated. The district is working with the health department on the next pop-up location.