Still need a COVID vaccine? It’s about to get easier in Manatee and Sarasota counties

People who want to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Manatee and Sarasota counties will soon no longer need an appointment.

Both counties will stop taking new appointment registrations at 5 p.m. Monday. Instead, they will transition to first-come, first-served vaccination sites.

As COVID-19 vaccines began to roll out across Florida earlier this year, counties were left to establish their own distribution systems. Manatee County opted for a random selection process, while neighboring Sarasota County offered a first-come, first-served waiting list.

Both counties have seen a major slowdown in new appointment sign-ups in recent weeks, prompting the change to an appointment-free system.

Manatee County Director of Public Safety Jacob Saur said he’s proud of the work that county and state health department workers have done to get shots in the arms of those who want them. But demand for vaccines is dropping.

“We have seen a decreased demand for vaccines, particularly in the younger age groups,” Saur said. “Now that it is readily available at pharmacies and soon to be at physician offices, residents wanting to get it will have more options.”

Saur said that the county’s emergency staff are looking to “ramp down” vaccine efforts to begin preparing for hurricane season.

Here’s more information on each county’s new vaccine plan.

Manatee County

Manatee County will offer vaccination appointments next week for the final patients that remain in the standby pool. As before, those residents will receive an automated message with appointment details. Registration for the standby pool close at 5 p.m. Monday.

Manatee will hold its first appointment-free, drive-thru vaccine clinic from 8 a.m. to noon April 21 at Tom Bennett Park, 280 Kay Road in Bradenton. Those patients will be scheduled for their second shot on May 19.

After that, county officials say that they will “gauge interest” in vaccinations at the Tom Bennett site and determine how long to keep offering first doses.

“If we see participation in the first-come, first-serve, we can expand that,” Saur said. “If not, we will reassess.”

Residents can visit mymanatee.org for more info.

Sarasota County

Sarasota County will also honor existing appointments on its vaccine waiting list. Registrations for the list will close at 5 p.m. Monday.

Sarasota will hold its first appointment-free, walk-up vaccine clinics at 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 9 and 10 at Sarasota Square Mall, 8201 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Patients with existing appointments on the county’s waiting list will be able to skip the line.

“This will also allow us to evolve our vaccine clinics at the Mall to a hybrid appointment/walk-up format that will quickly become an all walk-up format,” Sarasota County shared in a Wednesday COVID-19 update. “This will also allow [Florida DOH-Sarasota] to try expanded hours, geographic focused pop-ups and to work with local communities as we work to find the best ways to getting vaccines to our community.”

Residents can visit scgov.net for more info.