Manatee school district to begin vaccinating employees 50 and older
The Manatee County School District will begin vaccinating teachers and other staff who are 50 years old or older against the coronavirus at MCR Health Clinics on school campuses.
Beginning Monday, school district employees will be able to get their first dose of the Moderna vaccine at the MCR clinics on the campuses of Manatee Elementary School, 1609, Sixth Ave. E., Bradenton, and Southeast High School, 1200 37th Ave. E., Bradenton, between between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. each week day. Employees were notified by email early Thursday afternoon when the 1,000 available appointment slots were made available.
Appointments will be required and can be made on the district’s COVID-19 Vaccine for SDMC Employees page.
Eligible employees will need to choose the campus clinic location, a date and time when making an appointment. On the day of the appointment, employees will need to have completed a consent form, as well as their driver’s license and school badge for identification and to prove eligibility.
Employees will be provided with information on how they can schedule their second doses in a future email, according to Thursday’s email.
Plans are also in the works to for additional vaccine opportunities, potentially during Spring Break, with the health department.
Employees have other options to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday morning that he would be expanding eligibility in order to comply with the federal mandate issued by President Joe Biden earlier this week to vaccinate all pre-K-12 teachers, staff and childcare workers. Biden’s goal is to have all pre-K-12 teachers, staff and childcare workers vaccinated by the end of the month.
CVS stores have already begun offering vaccines to all teachers and school staff regardless of age. Publix, Winn-Dixie, Walmart, Walgreens and Sam’s Club pharmacies are expected to follow suit since they are also part of the federal retail pharmacy program.
The four federally run vaccine sites that opened this week, including the site at the Tampa Greyhound Track, will also begin to vaccinate school workers of all ages.
This story was originally published March 4, 2021 at 4:14 PM.
