DOH Leon Provides Week 23 Updates on COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 27, 2021

DOH Leon Vaccination Clinic Highlights:

• We have so far sponsored 40 vaccination clinics.
• We have successfully administered 29,618 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 department is finalizing plans to rightsize operations and move to the DOH Leon clinic at 1515 Old Bainbridge Road. Staff will administer doses every Tuesday from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, starting on June 1.

Since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began in December 2020, Leon County has vaccinated a total of 123,519 people.  Providers have vaccinated 85 percent of all Leon County residents over the age of 65, and 46 percent of all Leon County residents 12 years of age and older. Among college graduates and young professionals (25-34 age group), 36% of their population have received at least one vaccine dose.

The Leon County Vax Map helps citizens find convenient locations that offer COVID-19 vaccinations. The online resource allows users to select a location from the existing map or search for a known address. In addition, permanent and pop-up COVID-19 testing sites can also be found on the county’s “Vax Map.”

Upcoming Community Mobile COVID-19  Vaccination Outreach Events include:  Bond Community Health Center/Neighborhood Medical Center with support from DOH Leon, Leon County Government, and the Tallahassee-Leon County Coronavirus Vaccination Community Education and Engagement Task Force will administer vaccinations in Tallahassee at the Greater Love Church of God in Christ on Saturday May 29 from 8:00 a.m. to noon. 

To date, more than 26,000 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 (5/23-5/29).  The 7-day rolling average for new cases has averaged 36 per day for the past two weeks. So far, for this week, the average number of cases has decreased to 27 per day.  The test positivity rate has been at 4.95% for the past two weeks, but so far this week, we have decreased to a 4.47% positivity rate. Hospitalizations have decreased from the previous week and appear to be on a trend downward. Please note: Since our Midweek Metrics Report was distributed on Wednesday, May 26, there has been this update: As of today, Leon County has a known total of 31,818 confirmed cases and sadly six new deaths were documented. We have now lost 330 Leon County residents since the beginning of the pandemic.  

Additionally, since our last update we have confirmed ten new COVID-19 variant cases. Among them, we identified our first South Africa variant case.  This brings the current total count for confirmed variant cases to 50 in Leon County: 41 for the B117 (UK) variant, 5 for the B1429 (California) variant, 1 for the B1427 (California) variant and 2 for the P1 (Brazil) variant, and 1 for the B1351 (South Africa) variant.  So far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), studies suggest that the current authorized vaccines work on the circulating variants.

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.

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