Drive-Thru Coronavirus Vaccination Site Opens At Twin Lakes Park
SARASOTA, FL — The Department of Health in Sarasota County launched its new drive-thru coronavirus vaccination site at Twin Lakes Park Thursday, vaccinating about 1,100 people, Chuck Henry, DOH health officer, said during a news conference.
The vaccination clinic continues Friday, he added. After seeing how smoothly the site ran Thursday, he said they’ll increase the number of vaccines administered during the clinic’s second day.
“We have no reason to believe it won’t continue to run very smooth,” Henry said. “Tomorrow we’ll be running another big batch through. We’re gonna up the number a little bit, because, as we see from experience today, I think we could do a few more.”
The county now requires that those getting vaccinated are Florida residents, at least part-time, and are requiring people to show their Florida-issued drivers license or ID, or some other proof of residency, he said.
Drive-thru clinics are “resource intensive,” Henry added. The clinic at Twin Lakes Park is a good way to test out the system, he said.
“We did it out here so we could test it out, see how it would work,” he said. “I’m not certain that we’re going to stay here, we’re looking around at other options throughout the community.”
Once more doses arrive in the county, the DOH will get a central vaccination site running seven days a week, he said. Then, they’ll set up pop-up vaccination clinics in other areas of the county.
The county will also begin booking second-dose appointments for those that received their first vaccine shot Dec. 29-31, Henry said. Those individuals will hear from the health department to set those appointments.
The DOH in Sarasota also launched its new registration system through Everbridge, which went live Wednesday at noon. The new system also created a vaccination queue. Those who register to receive a vaccination, will remain on the list until doses become available.
By noon Thursday, about 68,000 people registered through the new system, said Rich Collins, the county’s emergency services director. About 40 percent of those who registered did so for two people, he added.
The DOH has heard some complaints from people who say they never received a confirmation after they registered. Collins said those emails went out later Wednesday, not right away. Those who didn’t see the email in their inbox should check their trash or spam folders, he said.
Overall, though, it’s “working quite well,” he said, adding, “So far, it’s working. There are a few little bumps along the way, but overall, it’s working very well.”
Sarasota County’s new registration system can be found on the Sarasota DOH website. People can also register by calling 941-861-VAXS (8297).
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that the state will take over vaccine registration for all counties.
Representatives for Sarasota County and the Department of Health in Sarasota County didn’t respond to questions about how this will affect the county’s new registration system.
This article originally appeared on the Sarasota Patch
