5,100 more COVID-19 vaccine appointments to be scheduled for Manatee County seniors
As officials begin scheduling new COVID-19 appointments next week, Manatee County is warning residents not to sign up for a vaccine using the state’s new COVID-19 vaccination registration website.
Because there are no state-run vaccination locations in the county, signing up through the state’s system will not expedite or ensure a COVID-19 vaccine appointment. Instead, residents are urged to visit Vax.MyManatee.org to sign up, as long as they are at least 65 years old and have proof of Florida residency.
“We understand many seniors are extremely anxious to get their vaccinations, but the new state enrollment site will not result in an appointment at one of the county’s vaccination sites at this time,” Public Safety Director Jacob Saur said in a prepared statement Friday afternoon. “If people are in our standby pool, they’ve done all they should to be ready.”
Starting Monday, another 5,400 seniors will be contacted to confirm appointments for a vaccine. This round of shots will be administered between Feb. 3 and Feb. 5 at Tom Bennett Park, 400 Cypress Creek Blvd., Bradenton. The county says 1,700 appointments will be booked per day.
Saur is also urging residents to remain patient as vaccines continue to trickle into the county, pointing to the Vaccine Standby Pool’s popularity with seniors.
“We have more than 100,000 parties registered in our vaccination standby pool, which is proof of how easy it is to enroll. Those large numbers are also a testament to the incredible success of our enrollment system,”
For more information on how to receive a vaccine in Manatee County, visit www.MyManatee.org/Vaccine.
This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 4:07 PM.
