DOH Leon Provides Week 22 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 as quickly, safely, and equitable as possible. 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 19:

Significant New Developments:  

New federal guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that suggest fully vaccinated people can go without masks in most indoor situations and outdoors has created some confusion among the general public, some businesses, and local jurisdictions. Leon County Government leaders have provided some clarity in their recent vote to move to Phase 3 of the county’s COVID-19 Response and Re-Opening Plan.

DOH Leon Vaccination Clinic Highlights:

• We have so far sponsored 38 vaccination clinics.
• We have successfully administered 29,350 doses through our health department to date.
• The vaccine team is offering Pfizer vaccinations to the new 12 to 15-year-old age group. Their parents or guardians must be present for the child to receive the vaccine.
• The DOH Leon clinic continues operations inside the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center at:
  • Florida State University

505 West Pensacola Street

• Tallahassee, FL 32301

• 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.

Since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began in December 2020, Leon County has administered a total of 215,340 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. More than 120,000 people have been vaccinated. 100,339 people have received both Moderna or Pfizer vaccine doses or one Johnson & Johnson dose and are considered fully protected against COVID-19.  On May 12, the Pfizer vaccine was authorized to be administered to people as young as 12 years old. As a result, this younger age group is eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine.  Now, 45% of the population eligible for vaccinations, aged 12 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), 35% 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.  The public is encouraged to use the Leon County Vax Map to find convenient vaccination locations.

Upcoming Community Mobile COVID-19 Vaccination Outreach Events:  Bond Community Health Center/Neighborhood Medical Center with support from Leon County Government will be distributing free COVID-19 vaccines this Saturday, May 22 from 8 a.m. until noon at the Anita Favors Thompson Plaza (116 Van Buren St.) during the Soul of Southside Festival. No appointments are necessary and all three of the COVID-19 vaccines will be available.

To date, more than 24,000 vaccines have been administered through the statewide homebound vaccination program.  The state continues to encourage homebound individuals to sign up and receive a COVID-19 vaccine at their home. Individuals can begin the registration process by calling 833-930-3672 or email homeboundvaccines@cdrmaguire.com. Find and complete a pre-screening survey at: https://homebound.patientportalfl.com/.  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 46 per day for the past two weeks. So far, for this week (5/16-5/22) the average number of cases has decreased to 34 per day.  Hospitalizations appear to have plateaued and are hopefully on a trend downward. The test positivity rate has been at 5.23% for the past two weeks (5/5-5/18), but so far this week, we have increased to a 5.97% positivity rate. As of today, Leon County has a known total of 31,531 confirmed cases and sadly five new deaths since our last update. We have lost now 324 Leon County 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 six new COVID-19 variant cases. This brings the current total count for confirmed variant cases to 40 in Leon County: 33 for the B117 (UK) variant, 5 for the B1429 (California) variant, 1 for the B1427 (California) variant 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