DOH-Leon COVID-19 Vaccine New Developments 

Tallahassee, FL ---- The Florida Department of Health in Leon County (DOH-Leon) in partnership with the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Emergency Management, continues working to provide our community with COVID-19 vaccinations in a safe and efficient manner. The information below contains some of the latest updates.

DOH-Leon Vaccination Program details as of Wednesday, January 6

We have had five vaccination clinics in Leon County.

We have more than 14,000 individuals who have requested to have a vaccine appointment through our call center or online portal.

We have successfully administered 1,921 vaccines through our health department to date.

Improvements to our COVID-19 vaccine request process are coming soon.  DOH-Leon is working with our partners at the Leon County Emergency Management office to deploy an automated system to call back the thousands of individuals who are waiting for updates on their status.   In support of the health department, County Emergency Management will use its mass notification system to make all those who have registered for vaccines aware that their application has been received. DOH-Leon anticipates the message going out in the next few days to more than 14,000 applicants to confirm registration.

We have closed the current online request for vaccine appointments. This will be done in anticipation of a new scheduling program to increase our efficiency. We will honor all who have previously submitted vaccination request forms before transitioning to the new system.

Our second COVID-19 vaccine shipment has arrived. The department now has 4,875 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.  We have shared some of the Moderna vaccine, as well as some of the new shipment with our community partners.  Florida State University will be among those receiving doses from the health department.  They will be offering them to eligible faculty and staff, 65 and older who want to be vaccinated.

The Leon County Department of Health has partnered with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to distribute 3,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to Leon County residents 65 years and older. Once the vaccines are in hand, Capital Health Plan, Tallahassee Primary Care Associates and TMH Physician Partners will be administering the vaccine to eligible patients. These organizations have established vaccine medical teams who have carefully set criteria and thoughtfully reviewed patients who will be eligible to receive these initial 3,000 doses. Patients were selected based on their age, current health conditions and overall health status to ensure the patients with the greatest need receive the vaccine first. Bond Health Clinic and Neighborhood Medical Center are now working directly with the Department of Health to provide vaccines to their patients. The general public should not contact these groups to request the vaccine at this time. Due to the limited supply, eligible patients are being contacted directly by their primary care provider’s office.

On Monday, January 4, Governor Ron DeSantis directed the state Department of Emergency Management to work with faith-based organizations to support vaccination efforts. In Leon County, Bethel AME Church and Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee are uniting to support the Governor’s initiative to deploy COVID-19 vaccines into underserved areas.  They have a vaccination clinic scheduled for Sunday, January 10 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. by appointment only.  The vaccination site is located at:

                Bethel AME Church

                501 West Orange Street

                Tallahassee, FL  32310

 All our vaccination clinics are now operating from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Clinics are still tentative based on vaccine supply and could change.  Clinics are at our Municipal Way Administration Building, but weather and cold temperatures could change the location:

            Municipal Way Administration

            2965 Municipal Way

            Tallahassee, FL 32304

The Florida Department of Health has issued a COVID-19 vaccine report that will be updated daily.  This report includes information on the COVID-19 vaccine by county, race, sex, and age. Find the COVID-19 vaccine report here: https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/

The state-wide COVID-19 Call center is now also answering questions about the COVID-19 vaccine.  The center is staffed 24/7. Residents should call:  1-866-779-6121.

This will be a long process.  As we roll forward, vaccines will become available to more and more Leon County residents.  We are looking forward to advancing into the next phases of the Governor’s vaccine distribution plan as soon as we possibly can, again, dependent on the supply of vaccine that comes to Leon County.

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 Media Contact:

Pamela Saulsby | Public Information Officer

850-518-5015

Pamela.saulsby@flhealth.gov