COVID-19 vaccines open up to ages 65 and older

MANATEE COUNTY – The county is giving a New Year’s gift to its seniors. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Manatee County on Dec. 28 and distribution to seniors age 65 and older will begin on Dec. 30.

During a Dec. 29 press conference held via Zoom, Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Nicholas Azzara said that 3,500 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine had arrived in the county and that appointments for distribution of those vaccines to seniors aged 65 and older are now open.

The first two days of vaccine distribution, on Wednesday, Dec. 30 and Thursday, Dec. 31, will take place at the Manatee County Department of Public Safety complex at 2101 47th Terrace E. in Bradenton. Up to 300 people per day are expected to be vaccinated at the Department of Public Safety. On Friday, Jan. 1, the vaccine distribution center will be moved to Bennett Park at 400 Cypress Creek Blvd. in Bradenton. At Bennett Park, appointments are planned to be booked through Jan. 4 with up to 500 people vaccinated per day. Both sites will be drive-thru vaccination sites.

To book an appointment, visit the Manatee County website to complete the Department of Health vaccine screening and consent form. Print out a copy of the consent form which will be required onsite before a vaccine can be administered. Once that is complete, an Eventbrite site will open up to allow you to schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine. If the website is busy, Azzara said to please keep trying. If you do not have computer access, please call the Manatee County Department of Health at 941-748-0747 for assistance.

Once you have an appointment, please arrive at the vaccine location on time and with a copy of your consent form, registration ticket from Eventbrite and photo identification to prove your age. All vaccine recipients are asked to stay in their vehicles unless directed to exit by onsite medical personnel. Anyone with a history of allergic reactions to vaccines will be asked to remain for 15-30 minutes after receiving the vaccine for observation.

While the 3,500 doses of the vaccine received by the county won’t come close to vaccinating all of the more than 100,000 residents at or over age 65, more vaccines are promised by the Florida State Attorney General’s Office to be on the way once Manatee County’s supply dwindles down to 500. As more vaccines arrive, more appointments will be available online for qualified individuals trying to get the vaccine.

There is no charge to receive the COVID-19 vaccine through the Manatee County vaccination site.

There are no residency requirements to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Manatee County. However, once the first dose of the vaccine is received, the recipient must receive the second dose in Manatee County. Vaccine records will not be able to be transferred to another state or facility. For the Moderna vaccine, a second dose must be administered 28 days after the first dose. While Manatee County does not yet have the Pfizer vaccine, that one has a 21-day period before a second dose must be administered. Illegal immigrants with valid photo identification who meet the age requirement will be able to receive the vaccine in Manatee County.

Manatee County Chief of Emergency Medical Services James Crutchfield said that once initial doses of vaccine are administered, a system will be set up for those requiring a second dose to register for vaccine appointments.

Residents of assisted living, nursing homes or other long-term care facilities will receive a vaccine from the staff of those facilities. Hospital staff and patients requiring the vaccine will receive their vaccinations at those facilities. The vaccines allotted to local hospitals will not be made available to the general public at this time.

For anyone who cannot get to one of the county-run facilities to receive their vaccine, Crutchfield said that plans for localized community vaccination distribution are being made though those vaccinations will take place further down the road. Right now, he said the priority for Manatee County is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible to work toward herd immunity, expected to occur when 70-80% of the population has been vaccinated.

Currently, there is no timeline for when the vaccine will be made available to people less than 65 years old in the state of Florida.

While the Manatee County appointment site is a stop-gap for the time being, a state registration site for vaccinations is expected to be launched in two weeks.

For questions about the vaccine, dial 311.

Even once you receive a vaccination, county health officials still recommend practicing safe social distancing, wearing masks and frequent handwashing.