‘It’s about time.’ Seniors relieved to get COVID vaccine at Ellenton mobile home park
Dozens of senior residents lined up at Colony Cove mobile home park on Tuesday morning under the Florida sun with the promise of a coveted COVID-19 vaccine.
The community of about 2,700 manufactured homes was chosen by the state to host a three-day vaccine event during which 3,500 people 65 years old or older will be able to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Despite the warm morning, most were elated and relieved to finally be getting a vaccine.
“It’s taken forever,” said Marge Van Dyke, adding that it had been difficult to get an appointment. “I have been registered on three sites since mid-January and not got called, so I really glad they opened up this site.”
As Van Dyke spoke, a friend walked out of the community’s largest facility, Harmony Hall, where vaccines were being administered and shouted to Van Dyke that she got her shot. Van Dyke cheered in celebration.
Life during the pandemic has been “pretty boring,” Van Dyke said, adding she couldn’t do any volunteer work.
“I have put on the virus 15, for sure, sitting, watching TV and eating,” she laughed.
Diane Hunt, 68, also described life as boring during the past year. Already vaccinated herself, she was accompanying her husband, Brian Hunt, 69, to get his vaccine.
“It’s about time. My wife has been trying for a long time,” he said.
Only she was able to get her first dose at a Publix on Feb. 12, she explained. After she registered online and got herself an appointment, the Publix website gave her the opportunity to make an appointment for her husband. But by the time she got to that step, “all the appointments were gone.”
“That’s the problem with the Publix website,” she said. “I have tried every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”
Colony Cove was still booking appointments on Tuesday for the event’s remaining two days, according to Colony Cove general manager Scott Payrits. You do not have to live at Colony Cove to receive a shot.
“I think it’s going really well. Yesterday, we started booking appointments and booked 1,200 appointments in one day, which was pretty phenomenal,” Payrits said. “We have about 900 emails to respond to for appointment for tomorrow and Thursday as well.”
The event will continue to run from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.Shots are being given at Harmony Hall, and appointments can be scheduled next door at the community’s gymnasium.
Appointments are being made via the mobile home park’s homeowners association. To make an appointment, seniors can call 941-705-1591, email 29rvrover@gmail.com or visit the park in person at 7615 Lake Shore Drive, Ellenton.
A robo-call from Gov. Ron DeSantis to local residents on Monday afternoon mentioned the event and other ways access to vaccines is being expanded locally, but he did not provide accurate details on how the event was organized.
“That created a little bit of confusion. It made a lot of people think it was a drive-thru, but we were able to open early and manage those lines,” Payrits said.
Volunteers from the homeowners association were forced to get to work an hour and 15 minutes earlier than anticipated to schedule appointments for the many residents who just showed up.
Community management was first contacted about hosting the vaccine event late Friday afternoon.
According to Florida Division of Emergency Management communications director Jason Mahon, the state receives dozens of requests each week from groups interesting in hosting a vaccine event.
“These closed Points of Dispensing (PODs) are part of a multi-pronged approach that the state has taken to reach as many seniors as possible across the state. This includes partnering with the faith-based community to open one-day vaccine clinics at more than 57 locations, and working with local communities, pharmacies and hospitals to open more than 800 permanent vaccination sites,” Mahon said. “By using this multi-pronged approach, the state has been able to continue to lead the country by vaccinating nearly 51% of our 65 and older population.”
Last month, the state hosted another similar three-day event at the Premier Sports Complex in Lakewood Ranch. The Lakewood Ranch event was only for residents of two of the county’s wealthiest zip codes, 34202 and 34211, in Lakewood Ranch.
DeSantis defended the decision to bring the vaccine event to Lakewood Ranch despite the backlash from seniors in other areas of the county hit exponentially harder by COVID-19 that were shut out from the event.
Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, who admitted to choosing the two zip codes, which are in her district, is now facing an investigation by the sheriff’s office and an ethics complaint. The people who filed the complaints allege Baugh misused her position as a public official to create a VIP list of people — including herself and Lakewood Ranch developer Rex Jensen — that she wanted to make sure got a vaccine.
