COVID-19 is surging among the unvaccinated. Where in Bradenton can you get your shot?

As of the end of last week in Manatee County, about 57% of residents 12 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This despite the easy availability of vaccines at local pharmacies and alarms sounded by the spread in the more virulent Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The importance of getting vaccinated, according to medical experts, has been highlighted by a recent surge in admissions to hospitals in Manatee and Sarasota counties of COVID patients, most of whom had not gotten their shots.

“We strongly encourage non-vaccinated individuals to explore where they can receive a COVID-19 vaccine in their area and follow CDC guidelines to limit the spread of this disease,” officials with Manatee Memorial Hospital and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center said in a statement Tuesday.

So where can you get your shot of a COVID-19 vaccine in Manatee County? The federal government’s Vaccine.gov makes it easy to find a location.

Go to the site, enter your ZIP code, how far you are willing to travel and which of three vaccines — Johnson & Johnson, Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech — you would like to receive. (The two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available for those 12 and over. You have to be at least 18 to receive the one-dose J&J or two-dose Moderna vaccines.)

The three vaccines are all effective in helping to prevent hospitalizations and death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Infection.

For example, within five miles of 34205 ZIP code in Bradenton, the results page listed 41 locations where you can receive one of the three vaccines, mostly pharmacies at places like CVS, Publix, Walgreen’s, Walmart and Winn-Dixie. A few of the locations were currently out of stock.

This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 7:33 AM.