If you are 40 or older, Manatee County has 8,000 new vaccine appointments waiting for you

Manatee County on Friday announced that 8,000 COVID-19 vaccination appointments are being scheduled for next week for people 40 and older.

The 8,000 new appointments will be for first-dose vaccines. The county said it also will administer 8,000 second-dose vaccines next week.

The announcement comes a day after Gov. Ron DeSantis said the eligibility age for a vaccine was dropping to 40 on Monday, and to 18 on April 5.

Anyone over the age of 18 also can begin registering for future appointments by visiting the county’s online enrollment system at vax.mymanatee.org. You can also call the county’s assistance hot line at 311.

As of Thursday, more than 86,000 people have received at least one of the vaccines at one of the two county-operated vaccination sites.

The Florida Department of Health in Manatee County said everyone who was previously waiting for an appointment that is 50 or older has been contacted at least once for an appointment.

“Working closely with the Department of Health in Manatee County, we vaccinated those 50 and older who were registered in our standby pool very quickly,” said Public Safety Director Jacob Saur. “It’s important for any adult who wants to receive a vaccination to enroll in our online registration system. There are far fewer people in the pool than one month ago and the wait to receive a call for an appointment is typically very short for someone who enrolls today.”

There are currently fewer than 3,400 people left in the standby pool who are between 50 and 64.

The number that will appear when you have been selected for an appointment is 941-742-4300. If you enrolled for text notification, look for the number 88911.

It is important to reply as quickly as possible. Once you do so, you will receive a follow-up message or text confirming your appointment.