DOH Leon Provides Week 17 Update on COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts 

DOH Leon Provides Week 17 Updates on COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts

Tallahassee, FL --- The Department of Health in Leon County (DOH Leon) in partnership with the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and multiple public and private sector partners, continues its mission to get all Leon County residents vaccinated quickly and fairly. All of this as we continue our collective efforts related to limiting the spread of the virus and protecting public health.

This week, actions to continue a proactive approach to vaccination efforts in Leon County include the following as of April 15:

New development:  The state of Florida is pausing all Johnson & Johnson vaccines per the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after six women in the United States developed extremely rare but potentially  life-threatening blood clots after getting the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Click here to learn more about the CDC and FDA guidance.

DOH Leon Vaccination Clinic Highlights:

• We have so far sponsored 30 vaccination clinics.
• We have successfully administered 25,467 doses through our health department to date.
• The Department’s vaccine team continues expanding operations to include eligible individuals who do not have scheduled appointments.
• The DOH Leon vaccine team is completing a mission to vaccinate those who are incarcerated and want to receive the vaccine at the Leon County Detention Center.
• The clinic is relocating to an indoor location at the Tucker Civic Center on May 3 due to increasing seasonal temperatures.

DOH Leon vaccination clinics operate from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  A valid government-issued photo ID is required. The schedule is subject to change based on vaccine supply and inclement weather. Vaccination clinics are held at:

Since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began in late December, Leon County has administered a total of 158,125 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine with an average of 8500 doses given weekly. More than 100,000 people have been vaccinated. 57,595 people have received both Moderna or Pfizer vaccine doses or one Johnson & Johnson dose and are considered fully protected against COVID-19.  To date, more than 32 percent of the eligible Leon County population have received at least one vaccine dose. The most impressive data is coming from the 65 years and older age group with 71 percent fully vaccinated.

DOH Leon continues its partnership with the state’s Sharecare system that allows residents to pre-register for appointments at https://myvaccine.fl.gov/#/ The website allows individuals who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to be proactively contacted when vaccine appointments are available. Those without access to a computer can call the toll-free line for Leon County at 866-200-3856 or for TTY (Text Telephone Relay) at 833-476-1455. For additional questions about the appointment system, Leon County residents can call 833-540-2054. Phone lines are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Leon County Government has launched an online resource to help residents navigate the community’s different vaccine locations. The Leon County Vax Map is a one-stop resource offering a list of sites with sign-up instructions, a browsable map, and an address searchable database to find convenient locations. Vax Map also features COVID-19 testing locations, both permanent operations and pop-up events.

The Governor’s Faith and Community Based Vaccine Initiative has had to make distribution changes due to the pause in administering the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. For Leon County, Bethel AME Church in Tallahassee will now offer 600 doses of Pfizer instead of the J&J vaccine. The free vaccination clinic, located at 501 West Orange Avenue will take place Saturday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. To make an appointment, email Sylvia Petties at sylviapetties123@gmail.com or call the church's office at 850-576-7501. 

Teams across the state continue efforts to vaccinate vulnerable homebound residents who can’t easily get to the nearest COVID-19 vaccination location.  Please note changes to the process, including a new registration portal: To register for an appointment visit https://homebound.patientportalfl.com/. If you need assistance registering for an appointment, please call 1-833-930-3672 or email homeboundvaccines@cdrmaguire.com

Safe and Healthy Big Bend hosts virtual event to honor Leon County residents lost to COVID-19.  Key community leaders will gather this Friday to commemorate the more than 300 lives that have been lost to the pandemic and provide moments of hope for the future. Speakers for the April 16 event include:

• John Dailey, Tallahassee Mayor
• Rick Minor, Leon County Commission Chair
• Brenda Holt, Gadsden County Commission Chair
• Rocky Hanna, Leon County Superintendent of Schools
• Walt McNeil, Leon County Sheriff
• Mark O’Brien, CEO, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare
• Alan Keesee, CEO, Capital Regional Medical Center
• Claudia Blackburn, Health Officer for the Florida Department of Health, Leon County
• Rev. Dr. R.B. Holmes, Pastor at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church
• Rabbi Michael Shields, Rabbi at Temple Israel
• Pastor Brad Clayton, Senior Pastor at Faith Presbyterian Church

Safe and Healthy Big Bend is a multi-media public education initiative to keep citizens informed and to provide up-to-date information on COVID-19. Pre-register to attend this virtual memorial event by clicking here. 

Community partners offer free rides to Leon County residents 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 vaccination 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 to those who are eligible to receive the vaccine. Rides can be set up by calling (850) 617-6325 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.  Additionally, Tallahassee’s Elder Care Services continues helping residents 60 years of age and older get to community vaccination sites. They can call (850) 921-5554 to schedule transportation. Individuals do not have to be officially enrolled in the Elder Care Services Program to take advantage of this opportunity.

Leon County continues to monitor key COVID-19 metrics. Reported cases of new infections are growing again after a steep fall from the post-holiday peak in January. Our 7-day rolling average for new cases has averaged 30 per day for the past two weeks. However, so far for this week (4/11-4/17) the average number of cases has increased to 37 a day. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is still down. Our test positivity rate has increased to 3.95% so far this week (4/11-4/17).  Sadly, there have been a total of 307 lives lost. Find more data on cases, testing, and fatalities specific to Leon County here.  Additionally, as of today, April 14, the total count of confirmed COVID-19 variant cases identified in Leon County is 23 (20 for the B117 and 3 for the B1429 variant). The CDC is conducting studies to collect additional data on the COVID-19 vaccine’s strength against the variants and whether booster shots will be required. For now, data suggest that the COVID-19 vaccines currently in use will stand up against the new variants.

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

Pamela.saulsby@flhealth.gov