DOH Leon Provides Week 21 Updates on COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts 

--- 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 12:

Significant New Developments:  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends the Pfizer vaccine for use in 12-through-15-year-old adolescents on an emergency-use basis ahead of the next school year. Read the statement of endorsement from the CDC Director here. DOH Leon has a supply of Pfizer vaccine on hand, and is now working with key community partners on a plan to begin vaccinating those in that age group.

DOH Leon Vaccination Clinic Highlights:

• We have so far sponsored 36 vaccination clinics.
• We have successfully administered 29,043 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.
• Our leadership teams are collaborating with the Tallahassee-Leon County Coronavirus Vaccination Community Education and Engagement Task Force on data-driven events to decrease vaccine hesitancy and increase access to vaccinations and public health advocates.

CDR|Health is operating mobile vaccine clinics at several Leon County high schools this week for students, staff, and the general public. So far, they have successfully administered vaccinations at Leon, Godby, and Chiles High Schools.  A final vaccination clinic is scheduled in Tallahassee on Thursday, May 13 at Lincoln High School (3838 Trojan Trail) from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  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 207,819 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. More than 117,000 people have been vaccinated. 95,626 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 12, some 47% of the population eligible for vaccinations, aged 16 and older, have received at least one dose of the vaccine with 38% of the population having completed their vaccine series.  Among college graduates and young professionals (25-34 age group), more than 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 hard-to-reach populations. This week in Tallahassee, several community vaccination events are scheduled and administered by the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Among places of worship: University Ministries International (2650 Old Bainbridge Road) is hosting a clinic offering all three approved vaccines. The drive-up clinic is confirmed for Saturday, May 15 from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Please see attached flyer for specifics. In addition, ALARM International Church (2532 W. Tharpe Street) is hosting a clinic on Saturday, May 15 beginning at 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. For more information call: 850-216-1800.

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 56 per day for the past two weeks. So far, for this week (5/9-5/15) the average number of cases has decreased to 39 per day. Hospitalization counts for people with COVID-19 are slightly increasing.  The test positivity rate has been at 6.04% for the past two weeks, but that number is decreasing. So far for this week (5/9-5/15), we have a 5.41% positivity rate. As of today, Leon County has a known total of 31,286 cases and 319 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 we have confirmed our first COVID-19 B1427 variant case. This indicates that both California variants are confirmed now among Leon County resident cases. This brings the current total count for confirmed variant cases to 34: 28 for B117 (UK) variant, 4 for the B1429 (California), 1 for the B1427 (another California) and 1 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