How To Get The Coronavirus Vaccine In Sarasota County
SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — It’s been a slow, sometimes frustrating process rolling out the coronavirus vaccine in Sarasota County and much of Florida. The process has been hampered by low numbers of doses being doled out to counties, high demand for the vaccine and technology issues.
The Department of Health in Sarasota County has been working behind the scenes to make the vaccination registration process more efficient, though, and some changes are being introduced.
Here are seven things you need to know about getting vaccinated in Sarasota:
1. A new registration system is launching Wednesday.
When the DOH in Sarasota began registering people for coronavirus vaccination appointments, it used Eventbrite, an online ticketing website. This frustrated many people, as the “tickets” would “sell out” in minutes whenever appointment times were made available. And many individuals in the 65 and older category, which is being prioritized for the vaccine, aren’t always tech savvy or have access to computers at home, DOH officials have said.
Now, the county is moving to a new system, Everbridge, which goes live Wednesday at noon. The link to the new system can be found here on the DOH website when it launches.
Through this new system, people can register online or by phone. The number to the vaccine registration support call center, which also launches Wednesday at noon, is 941-861-VAXS (8297).
Those interested in getting vaccinated in Sarasota County will need to create a new Everbridge account for vaccine registration, even if they’re existing Everbridge users, the county said via email. The vaccine registration is separate from hurricane or COVID-testing notices.
2. The DOH in Sarasota is introducing a vaccine queue.
In addition to the new Everbridge system for vaccine registration, the DOH in Sarasota will also create a queue. Those who register to receive a vaccination, will remain on the list until doses become available. Then, they’ll be contacted by the county to set up an appointment.
“Once you register into this system, you will go into a queue, so you don’t have to register again,” Steve Huard, DOH public information officer said.
3. The county’s first drive-thru vaccination event is set for Thursday and Friday.
The DOH in Sarasota County received 3,300 of the COVID-19 vaccine Monday. These doses will be distributed Thursday and Friday at the county’s first drive-thru vaccination clinic, which will be held at Twin Lakes Park at 6700 Clark Road in Sarasota.
For now, these clinics are focusing on central Sarasota County. But when the county receives larger amounts of the vaccine, the DOH will plan additional distribution sites and pop-up events in southern areas and communities where there are numerous people who aren’t able to travel, Huard said.
The DOH is working closely with partners in the cities of North Port and Venice to identify locations for distribution events. He also said the agency could partner with home health care providers to reach homebound individuals with the vaccine.
4. All appointments for second doses have been canceled.
When the DOH administered the first coronavirus vaccinations in the county, it also automatically scheduled a follow-up appointment for the required second dose. But the county has canceled all of these booster shot appointments.
Huard said these appointments will be rescheduled when the DOH finds a more effective way to distribute the second shot, likely at a drive-thru clinic.
“We don’t want that many people coming to our main Ringling location for the second dose,” he said.
For those concerned about receiving their second dose on schedule — 21 days after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 28 days for the Moderna brand — Huard said they shouldn't worry. Those timeframes are an approximation, and the effectiveness of the vaccine won't be impacted if they don't receive the booster shot exactly 21 or 28 days after the first.
5. Sarasota Memorial Hospital will reach out to minority communities.
As Sarasota Memorial Hospital moves forward with vaccine distribution, it plans to target some of the area’s minority communities that have been hardest hit by COVID-19 and communities that receive less preventative care, WTSP reported.
The hospital recently held a pop-up vaccination clinic in Newtown, vaccinating 400 seniors.
6. The vaccine remains available only to frontline health care workers, those in long-term care facilities, and people 65 and older.
As Florida moves through this first phase of vaccination, the state continues to target three communities: frontline health care workers with direct patient contact, residents and staff in long-term care facilities, and individuals who are 65 and older. Hospitals can also choose to vaccinate those they feel are vulnerable to coronavirus.
Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order prioritizing these groups in December.
7. Stay updated through the county’s text alert system.
Residents can receive updated information about the coronavirus or the vaccine by signing up for Sarasota County's emergency alert system. Text "SRQCOVID19" to 888777. The county will send text alerts when vaccination registration is available or it needs to share other information about the pandemic.
This article originally appeared on the Sarasota Patch
