With new COVID-19 vaccine dose arrivals expected to be limited this week, Manatee County continues to stress patience

With new COVID-19 vaccine dose arrivals expected to be limited this week, Manatee County continues to stress patience
Posted on 01/11/2021

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Jan. 11, 2021) – Over the first 11 days of drive-thru vaccine operations, the Department of Health in Manatee County has vaccinated 5,457 people, a number that will probably not change this week as there are very limited — if any — additional vaccine shipments to the Manatee-Sarasota area expected this week.

County Administrator Cheri Coryea said Manatee County has not received any notice of additional vaccines to our area for this week as in weeks past, however she has been keeping the Governor's office informed of the status of people waiting in the new vaccine standby pool. Coryea said local leaders will continue to do all they can to obtain new shipments of the vaccine from state and federal agencies which control the distribution of doses.

"We've been grateful to receive the doses we've received in Manatee County but at this time there's not enough supply of the vaccine to meet the extremely high number of people wanting to be vaccinated," Coryea said. "We'll continue to work with our state and federal officials to expedite the shipment of vaccines to Manatee County in order to minimize the wait for those seniors who want to be vaccinated in our community."

As of Monday morning, 53,254 parties have pre-registered for the standby pool. Because couples are included in that total, the actual number of people in pool is 85,400. Coryea reminded those in the standby pool that they do not need to do anything more at this time. 311 Call Center agents will resume making appointments as soon as new vaccine shipments arrive.

"I hope people will continue to have patience as we await additional vaccine supplies to arrive," Coryea said. "Everyone from the County Commission over to the Department of Health and our Public Safety team — they're all eager to get more vaccines in the arms of our seniors, but at this time we have none to give. We'll be sure to announce the availability of new vaccines and we'll resume booking appointments whenever additional shipments arrive." 

Manatee County will continue its effort to pre-register seniors ages 65 and older for the new standby pool which serves as a list for individuals wanting to be vaccinated. Seniors ages 65 and older can register for the waiting list online at vax.mymanatee.org anytime of day. Seniors may also book an appointment by calling 311 weekdays from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. The registration pool is open-ended, so there is no deadline to join the pool.

NOTE: Manatee County will not collect financial information, social security numbers or other sensitive personal information. The vaccines being administered by the Department of Health are free to the public.

Whenever a new shipment of vaccines arrives, the same number of names will be pulled through randomized selection. 311 reps will use those names to call pre-registered seniors and book an appointment. Seniors should look for a call from (941) 742-4300. If they miss the first call, 311 callers will try once more later. If there's no answer after two attempts, the caller's name will be placed back in the standby pool to make room for another person for an appointment. There is no need to call or register a second time.

On the day of the appointment, seniors will need the following:

  • An email receipt or unique number they receive from the 311 Call Center;
  • A Department of Health consent form available at www.mymanatee.org/vaccine (311 callers can assist with the form for those without internet access);
  • A valid ID showing age 65 or older.