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DOH Leon Provides Week 20 Updates on COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts

By Pamela Saulsby

May 06, 2021

DOH Leon Provides Week 20 Updates on COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts 

DOH Leon Provides Week 20 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 May 6.

Significant New Developments:  

Governor DeSantis signed an order Monday, May 3, invalidating all remaining local emergency COVID-19 orders on July 1, using his executive power to suspend them immediately in the meantime.  Due to the order, the Leon County mask ordinance is no longer in effect. You can read the full executive order here.

DOH Leon Vaccination Clinic Highlights:

  • We have so far sponsored 34 vaccination clinics.
  • We have successfully administered 28,085 doses through our health department to date.
  • The DOH Leon clinic has relocated to the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center at:
    • Florida State University
      • 505 West Pensacola Street
    • Tallahassee, FL 32301
  • New Hours of Operation:
    • Monday           1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
    • Friday              9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

 

  • Appointments are encouraged, but no longer required. The clinic schedule is subject to change based on vaccine supply, inclement weather, and previously scheduled events at the Tucker Center.

 

Student vaccine clinics are planned at several Leon County high schools next week. A mobile COVID-19 vaccine unit will be on each campus listed from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the following sites.

 

Monday, May 10 – Leon High School

Tuesday, May 11 – Godby High School

Wednesday, May 12 – Chiles High School

Thursday, May 13 – Lincoln High School

 

Both the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be offered to students and staff, with no appointments necessary. Only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for individuals who are 16 and 17 years old. Students must have a parent or guardian present to get vaccinated.

Since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began in late December, Leon County has administered a total of 199,011 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. More than 114,000 people have been vaccinated. 89,280 people have received both Moderna or Pfizer vaccine doses or one Johnson & Johnson dose and are considered fully protected against COVID-19.  As of May 6, nearly half of the population eligible for vaccinations, aged 16 and older, have received at least one dose of the vaccine with more than a third of the population having completed their vaccine series.  Among college graduates and young professionals (25-34 age group), a third of their population 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.

The Governor’s Faith and Community-Based Vaccine Initiative continues its targeted outreach to vulnerable and at-risk populations. This week in Tallahassee, Shady Grove #1 Primitive Baptist Church (1478 Chaires Cross Rd.) is hosting a COVID-19 community vaccination clinic on May 8, starting at 9:00 a.m.  A vaccine team will be distributing both the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Please read the attached flyer for specifics. In addition, the Tallahassee-Leon County Coronavirus Vaccination Community Education and Engagement Task Force is coordinating a pop-up vaccination clinic at Fort Braden Community Park (15000 Blountstown Hwy.) on Saturday May 8 from 8 a.m. to noon.  No appointments are needed. 

The statewide initiative to vaccinate homebound residents in Leon County continues. 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. Individuals will go through a pre-screening survey, then those eligible for homebound vaccines will receive a follow-up call to schedule the home visit. Only individuals who meet the U.S Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services criteria for homebound, are currently eligible for the vaccine.

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.

Situational Update for COVID-19 in Leon County.  The 7-day rolling average for new cases has averaged about 51 per day for the past two weeks. So far, for this week (5/2-5/8) the average number of cases stands at 59 per day. Hospitalization counts for people with COVID-19 are slightly increasing.  The test positivity rate has been at 5.52% for the past two weeks, but that number is rising. So far for this week (5/2-5/8),  we are seeing our positivity rate increasing to now 6.79 %. As of today, Leon County has a known total of 31,016 cases and 320 deaths among Florida residents since the beginning of the pandemic.  Find more data on cases, testing, and fatalities specific to Leon County here.   Additionally, since our last update, two new B117 COVID-19 variant cases have been identified while one of the previously confirmed P1 variant cases was found to be not a Leon County resident upon further review.  The total count for confirmed variant cases now stands at 31 in Leon County: 26 for the B117 (UK) variant, four for the B1429 (California) variant, and one for the P1 (Brazil) variant. According to the CDC, current data suggest that COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the United States offer protection against most variants. However, some variants might cause illness in some people after they are fully vaccinated.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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