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

DOH Leon Provides Week 19 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 28:

Significant Developments:  

The state has resumed the use of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have reaffirmed its safety. Federal health officials determined the vaccine’s benefits outweigh the serious but small risk of blood clots.  Read details here.

DOH Leon Vaccination Clinic Highlights:

The vaccination clinic scheduled for Saturday; May 1 has been rescheduled.

New walk-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics at FSU begin Monday May 3 at:

New Hours of Operation:

Please Note: A valid government-issued photo ID is required. The schedule is subject to change based on vaccine supply, inclement weather, and previously scheduled events at the Tucker Center.

Since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began in late December, Leon County has administered a total of 187,518 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. More than 111,000 people have been vaccinated. 80,627 people have received both Moderna or Pfizer vaccine doses or one Johnson & Johnson dose and are considered fully protected against COVID-19.  As of April 28, approximately 43% of the Leon County population eligible to get the vaccine has received at least one dose of the vaccine. Among college graduates and young professionals (25-34 age group), 31 percent have received at least one vaccine dose.

DOH Leon continues urging residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and to preregister 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 continues its targeted outreach to vulnerable and at-risk populations. In Tallahassee, China Hill Primitive Baptist Church (458 Fairbanks Ferry Road) is hosting a COVID-19 community vaccination site on May 1, 2021, starting at 9:00 a.m.. A vaccine team will be distributing the Moderna vaccine for those who are eligible. Please read the attached flyer for specifics.

To date, more than 23,400 vaccines have been administered through the statewide homebound vaccination program.  The state continues to encourage homebound individuals or their caregiver to sign up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at their home. 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

Community partners continue programs offering free rides to help people reach their COVID-19 vaccine appointments.  2-1-1 Big Bend and Lyft are 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’s COVID-19 health metrics are trending slightly upward.  The 7-day rolling average for new cases has averaged about 40 per day for the past two weeks. So far, for this week (4/25-5/1) the average number of cases has increased to 49 per day. Hospitalization counts for people with COVID-19 are decreasing.  The test positivity rate has been 4.25% for the past two weeks, but that number is increasing. So far for this week (4/25-5/1),  our percent positivity rate is at 4.65 %.  We can regrettably confirm three new resident deaths since the last Community Partners Update, for a total of 315 lives lost. Find more data on cases, testing, and fatalities specific to Leon County here.  Additionally, another new COVID-19 variant has been detected. Leon County now has two confirmed cases of the variant called P1 that was first detected in Brazil. The total count for confirmed cases now stands at 29 in Leon County: 23 for the B117 (UK) variant, four for the B1429 (California) variant, and two for the P1 (Brazil) variant. According to the CDC, studies so far suggest that antibodies generated through vaccination with currently authorized vaccines recognize these 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.

About the Florida Department of Health

The Florida Department of Health, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

For more information please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

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Submitted by:

Pamela Saulsby | Public Information Officer