DOH Leon Provides Week 11 Updates on COVID-19 Vaccine Efforts 

For immediate Release | March 4, 2021

 DOH LEON PROVIDES WEEK 11 UPDATES ON COVID-19 VACCINE EFFORTS

 Tallahassee, FL – The Florida Department of Health in Leon County (DOH Leon) in partnership with the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and other key community partners, continues to administer COVID-19 vaccinations as effectively and equitably as we possibly can. This, as we continue all our responses related to limiting the spread of the virus and protecting public health.

Please see information below for Week 11 updates on vaccination efforts in Leon County as of March 4.

DOH Leon Vaccination Clinic Highlights:

We have administered 17,288 doses through our health department to date.

We have sponsored 20 vaccination clinics.

Our vaccine forecast for the week ending 3/10/21 includes an expected 3510 first doses of Pfizer vaccine.

The DOH Leon vaccination team is working with partners and adjusting distribution strategies in accordance with a new executive order signed by Governor DeSantis.  Executive Order 21-47 expands vaccine eligibility requirements. Effective March 3, 2021, eligible individuals include:

• • Long-term care facility residents and staff
  • Persons 65 years of age and older
  • Health care personnel with direct patient contact
  • K-12 school employees 50 years of age and older
  • Firefighters 50 years of age and older
  • Sworn law enforcement officers 50 years of age and older

In addition to hospital providers, physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and pharmacists may also vaccinate persons determined by a physician to be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19. 

Florida A & M University’s Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center (1800 Wahnish Way) has expanded operations at its COVID-19 vaccine clinic to included eligible school employees, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. Individuals must bring identification verifying their date of birth and place of employment. The clinic is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Walkups are accepted, but online registration is recommended using this link. 

Since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began in late December, Leon County has administered a total of 76,683 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. More than 46,000 people have been vaccinated. 30,067 individuals in the county have completed their vaccine series and are now fully immunized against COVID-19.

DOH Leon is administering vaccines to residents receiving appointments through the statewide preregistration system.  Those who are eligible can start the process by visiting https://myvaccine.fl.gov/. The system will notify those who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when appointments are available by text, email, or phone call.  Those without internet access can call 866-200-3856.  For those requiring TTY access, the phone number is 833-476-1455. The vaccine registration website has been expanded to Spanish and Haitian Creole. Additionally, there is a helpline for Leon County residents with questions about the appointment system:  833-540-2054. Phone lines are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

DOH Leon vaccination clinics operate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Clinics are by appointment only and a government-issued photo ID is required. The schedule is subject to change based on vaccine supply and inclement weather. Vaccination clinics are held at:

            DOH Leon Administration Building

            2965 Municipal Way

            Tallahassee, FL  32304

Governor DeSantis continues to single out Leon County for its success rate in vaccinating seniors. On Monday, March 1, in a tweet the Governor applauded Leon County for vaccinating 73 percent of eligible seniors. Other counties mentioned: St. Johns, Nassau, Alachua, and Indian River.

The faith-based initiative continues in Leon County at places of worship. This Sunday, March 7, Tallahassee’s Temple Israel and Immanuel Baptist Church are working together to host a drive-through vaccination clinic beginning at 1 p.m. to 4pm and then from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. These houses of worship share the same parking lot at: 2215 Mahan Drive in Tallahassee. The Governor’s initiative to increase vaccinations also tasks the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Health with identifying other locations in underserved and vulnerable communities. Many look for this initiative to be expanded to include Latinx communities.

Community partners offer rides to seniors with appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.  2-1-1 in partnership with The United Way, 2-1-1 Big Bend and Lyft is offering transportation to COVID-19 vaccine sites through the Lyft Ride United Program. The project provides safe and reliable door to door rides to COVID-19 vaccine appointments at walk-up COVID-19 vaccination sites. Rides can be set up by calling (850) 617-6325 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare continues its series “State of COVID-19 in Leon County Community Update” at noon Friday, March 5. This virtual chat collectively brings together key community leaders for an open conversation about COVID-19. The discussion begins at noon via Zoom and is streamed live on Facebook. Topics will include: The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Leon County’s mask mandate, COVID-19 treatments, and local distribution of vaccines. To register and submit questions visit: TMH.org/CovidTalk.

DOH Leon continues to see improvement in our key COVID-19 metrics. Cases are not as low as we’d like but have decreased over the past two weeks. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has also fallen in the Leon County area. Deaths have remained at about the same level. The test positivity rate is relatively low, suggesting that testing capacity is meeting current demand. So far, for this week Leon County is at 3.52%. Find more data on COVID-19 cases, testing, and fatalities specific to Leon County here.  Additionally, there has been one new case of the UK COVID-19 variant identified in Leon County.  We now stand at four cases of the B117 variant. Data suggest this variant may be more contagious than the original virus but does not suggest that it causes more severe disease. Current COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be effective against this and other mutations.

The Florida Department of Health issues a COVID-19 vaccine report that is updated daily.  This report includes information on the COVID-19 vaccine by county, race, sex, and age. The site also includes all available resources that we have on the state vaccination plan. Find the COVID-19 vaccine report here: https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/

 For any additional questions about the vaccine at this time, the State COVID-19 Call Center can be reached by calling 1-866-779-6121 or emailing COVID-19@flhealth.gov  and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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Submitted by:

Pamela Saulsby | Public Information Officer