Can’t get a COVID-19 vaccine in Manatee? Here’s where you can get a shot one county away

Florida is ramping up its COVID-19 vaccination efforts for seniors in Sarasota County.

Another 3,000 senior citizens are slated to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Venice this week at a temporary drive-thru site operated by the state.

Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the Venice Community Center, where the vaccine distribution began on Wednesday, to announce the effort.

The site will distribute 1,000 vaccines a day through Friday. All slots have already been filled through the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota, according to the governor’s office.

DeSantis also announced that the state-operated vaccination site at Sarasota Square Mall, 8201 S. Tamiami Trail, is getting more than a twofold increase in its weekly vaccine allotment, from 3,300 doses a week to 7,000 doses a week.

Seniors ages 65 and up and “high-risk, frontline healthcare workers” are eligible to register for a vaccine in Sarasota County.

Proof of Florida residency is required to receive a vaccine. Information about how to join the waiting list for a vaccine at the the state-supported site in Sarasota can be found at scgov.net/government/health-and-human-services/covid-19-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine.

As of Tuesday, 32,569 people had received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in Sarasota County, and 20,652 had been fully inoculated, according to the state health department’s county vaccination report.

In Manatee County, which is currently allotted 6,100 vaccines a week, 20,035 people have received a first dose and 14,048 have completed vaccination.

This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 3:48 PM.