Here’s how to get a COVID vaccine at a just-opened federal site in Tampa
Tampa Bay’s first federal mass vaccination site opened Wednesday morning, prepared to administer 3,000 doses a day at the Tampa Greyhound Track
The campus, located at 755 E. Waters, Ave., is one of four federal mass vaccination sites that opened across the state early Wednesday. The other three sites opened in Miami, Orlando and Jacksonville.
Who can get a COVID-19 vaccine at Tampa federal mass vaccination site?
The site will follow state criteria for vaccine eligibility. This means that under Florida’s guidelines, the following people are eligible for a dose.
▪ Seniors 65 and older
▪ Healthcare personnel with direct patient contact
▪ Long-term care facility residents and staff
▪ K-12 school employees 50 and older
▪ Sworn law enforcement officers 50 and older
▪ Firefighters 50 older
You must show proof of Florida residency. There is no county residency requirement, which means Manatee County residents can also get the vaccine at this site.
Do you need to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment at Tampa site?
Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, which is tasked with the state’s vaccine distribution, states on its website that federally supported vaccination sites like the one in Tampa will be first-come, first-served. No appointments are required for this site.
When the site was first announced last month, it was said that vaccinations would be by appointment.
Now the division says that you can show up without an appointment. If all slots are full for that day, staff will schedule an appointment for you to receive the vaccine at a later date.
For those who want to make sure they get a dose when they arrive, the division says people can pre-register for an appointment through Florida’s statewide registration system myvaccine.fl.gov or by calling Miami-Dade County’s designated scheduling hotline 888-499-0840.
As of early Wednesday, the state’s online portal has not been updated to include K-12 school employees, police or firefighters ages 50 and older.
In addition to the federal vaccination sites, the federal government will also operate two mobile vaccination units out of the Greyhound Track.
The mobile units will get deeper into communities lacking access to the vaccine.
The mobile sites will be available March 3-6 at the Larry Sands Sports Complex, from March 7-10 at Hillsborough Community College’s Brandon Campus, and between March 3-10 at Lake Maude Park in Winter Haven.
Is Tampa site a walk-up or drive-thru vaccination site?
Florida says it’s a walk-up site with air-conditioned tents and chairs so people don’t have to stand while waiting for their shots. MDC North had served as a drive-thru site when it was administering doses scheduled through Miami-Dade County’s online portal.
It’s still unclear how the site’s federal mass vaccination status will affect appointments scheduled through miamidade.gov/vaccine. Miami-Dade County’s COVID-19 vaccine webpage still lists MDC North as an appointment-only drive thru site.
Tampa Greyhound Track vaccine site: Hours of operations
Starting Wednesday, MDC North’s vaccination site will be open every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Spectrum Bay News 9 contributed to this story.
This story was originally published March 3, 2021 at 11:18 AM with the headline "Here’s how to get a COVID vaccine at a just-opened federal site in Tampa."
