Manatee unveils new vaccine system for people 60 and up. Here’s who else can get a shot
Anyone age 60 and up can now register for a COVID-19 vaccine through Manatee County’s new enrollment system. And people with special medical conditions — regardless of age — can now receive a vaccine through the county health department.
Addressing reporters on Monday morning, the county’s public safety director, Jacob Saur, said the 60-and-up category is the first to use Manatee’s new Everbridge enrollment and notification system.
To use the system, visit vax.mymanatee.org and click on the registration link. Help is also available by calling 311 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Anyone who previously signed up for the county’s 65-and-up standby pool, he said, will remain enrolled until they receive a vaccine. There was no need for those people to register in the new system.
“Manatee County will continue to prioritize ages 65 and above as we move through that pool,” Saur continued. “But it has been increasingly difficult to get appointments scheduled for that 65 and older group, which is a good sign we’re getting down toward the end of that pool.”
There were approximately 24,000 people left in Manatee’s 65-and-up pool on Monday morning, though the number of people who actually needed a vaccine was likely lower. While awaiting a vaccine through the county pool, some people have gone to a local pharmacy or the federal site in Tampa for their immunization.
More than 88,400 people — nearly one in five Manatee County residents — were vaccinated as of Sunday evening. And on Monday morning, Saur said another 10,200 first-dose appointments were scheduled to take place at Tom Bennett Park and the Public Safety Center this week.
Once an appointment becomes available, people will receive a call from 941-742-4300. Those who opt for text notifications will receive a message from 88911.
“Manatee County will continue to prioritize ages 65 and older, but as the pool of 65 and older becomes thinner, those in the 60-older categories will be randomly selected for an appointment,” the county said in a news release.
Extremely vulnerable patients can get shots
Enrollment for the standby pool was based on age and not medical conditions.
Anyone with an underlying medical condition should start by having his or her physician sign the state’s “COVID-19 Determination of Extreme Vulnerability” form.
An appointment can then be made through the county health department by calling 941-242-6646. The department, 410 Sixth Ave. E., Bradenton, will fill appointments between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.
The Florida Department of Health in Manatee County will vaccinate people of all ages if they have one of the following conditions:
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD
- Down syndrome
- Heart conditions
- Other medical conditions listed by the CDC.
Those with a signed vulnerability form can also visit the website of local pharmacies — including CVS, Publix and Winn-Dixie — to book an appointment.
What if I already have a vaccine?
Saur urged people to call 311 and remove themselves from the county standby pool if they already received a vaccine.
“If you don’t and you get a call from us, it’s very simple to respond back that you no longer need the vaccine by pressing 3,” he continued. “That will remove you from the pool.”
And anyone who received a single dose at the federal site or a local pharmacy should return to those locations for their second dose.
After receiving their first shot at Publix or another pharmacy, some people have received an appointment call from the county and attempted to schedule their second dose at Tom Bennett Park or the Public Safety Center, complicating the process.
“We can obviously handle that if you can’t make it at the place you originally received your vaccines,” Saur said. “But in order to keep an orderly process for vaccines, it’s very important that those who got vaccinated with their first dose return to the same place to get their second dose.”
This story was originally published March 15, 2021 at 1:48 PM.