DOH Leon Provides COVID-19 Vaccine Progress Report 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 11, 2021

The Department of Health in Leon County Provides Update 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 other partners continues to work to provide our community with COVID-19 vaccinations as effectively and equitably as we possibly can with limited supply. This, as we continue all our responses related to limiting the spread of the virus and protecting public health.

The information below contains some of the latest COVID-19 vaccine updates as of February 11.

DOH Leon Vaccination Clinic Details as of Thursday, February 11:

We have successfully administered 10,933 doses through our health department to date.

We have had 14 DOH Leon sponsored vaccination clinics.

Thanks to support from local partners we have finally cleared our vaccine request waiting list that began in late December and quickly grew to more than 16,000 people.

Our actions are in accordance with the Governor’s  executive order  to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to all individuals 65 years of age and older, as well as high-risk frontline health care workers.

The DOH Leon vaccine forecast includes an expected shipment of 7,020 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.  The department is transferring a substantial number of doses to community health partners.

Since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began in late December Leon County has administered a total of 48,921 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. 34,574 people have been vaccinated. 20,227 have received their first dose. 14,347 individuals have completed the series and are considered fully immunized.

The COVID-19 vaccination rate among our seniors continues to improve. Collectively, Leon County healthcare partners, Florida State University, Florida A & M University and DOH Leon have administered doses now to just over 61 percent of the senior population, 65 years and over in Leon County, based on 2019 census estimates. On Wednesday, February 10, Governor DeSantis applauded Leon County for earning the distinction of leading the state for vaccinated seniors.

DOH Leon is now scheduling COVID-19 vaccine appointments using the state’s new vaccine pre-registration system. Florida State University is now an early partner providing vaccines to seniors  65 years and over at Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. Eligible individuals can start the process by visiting https://myvaccine.fl.gov/. It allows residents to pre-register for vaccine appointments. The system will notify those who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when appointments are available in their area.

Those without internet access in Leon County or who prefer to speak directly with an agent can call 866-200-3856.  For those requiring TTY access, the phone number is 833-476-1455.  Additionally, there is now a helpline for Leon County residents with questions about the new appointment system: Call 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

Community partners offer to transport seniors to COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Leon County, through agency partners part of the Big Bend Community Organizations Active in Disaster (Big Bend COAD), will help coordinate transportation for seniors to reach COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Any Leon County senior unable to secure transportation should contact VolunteerLEON at (850) 606-1970 to receive a referral to a faith-based organization for a volunteer driver. Anyone seeking assistance should have already tried to secure transportation through family and friends and must have a vaccination appointment scheduled at an upcoming clinic.

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare continues its series “State of COVID-19- A Community Update” at noon this Friday, February 12. This virtual event collectively brings together local community health professionals for an open conversation about COVID-19.  This week’s discussion is entitled “Vaccinating Diverse Communities in Leon County” and will feature Dr. Elaine Bryant as a special guest speaker. Dr. Bryant, a former Tallahassee City Commissioner, will share what the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force is doing to educate and increase awareness to historically underserved communities. We invite our partners to post and share this event across their platforms. The discussion begins at noon via Zoom and is streamed live on Facebook. Register and submit questions at TMH.ORG/CovidTalk.

DOH Leon continues its response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the community.  All of the department’s most important COVID-19 metrics on the virus are trending in the right direction. The daily average of new confirmed cases is declining, as is Leon County’s test positivity rate. Sadly, we have lost 256 residents to COVID-19. The county’s COVID-19 testing effort remains robust with an average of 2,335 tests per day. Find more data and summary information specific to Leon County here. Additionally, a new case of the UK COVID-19 variant was detected this week in Leon County, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to three. According to the CDC, both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have so far proven to be effective against known variants of the coronavirus.

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