They all agree they were fortunate.
And each feels a social obligation to protect those who have not been inoculated against the virus, as well as concerns over the effectiveness of the vaccine as variants circulate.
A handful of Holmes Beach residents were among the first locally to receive both doses of the Moderna vaccine — the next step in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus.
“My husband happened to be on the mymanatee.org website the morning they rolled out 300 vaccines,” Zan Fuller said Jan. 28 of the Manatee County website. “We happened to be among the lucky ones.”
The first rollout occurred Dec. 29, 2020.
“We had the shot the next day,” Fuller said. “I have to say, it went flawlessly.”
She said the car lineup at the county public safety center in Bradenton moved fast, with facilitators assisting the drive-thru process and nurses and others overseeing recipients of the shot during a 15-minute waiting period to watch for reactions.
Two doses — about 28 days apart — are required for the Moderna vaccine to be effective, according to the Department of Health-Manatee County.
Fuller said she and her husband received their second shots Jan. 26.
“There were a lot more people,” Fuller said, adding the location changed to Tom Bennett Park, also in Bradenton. “But it was still very well organized.”
Fuller said she and her husband were tired the day after the second shot, a reaction also shared by Holmes Beach residents Bill and Janet Small, who got in on the same first-round registration window.
The Smalls said they felt slight soreness at the injection site, a slight fever and a “general malaise” for about 24 hours after the shot, but the symptoms were short-lived versus the alternative.
“I would give the county an A-plus,” Bill Small said of the vaccination process.
“It was textbook,” Janet added.
Some others traveled to neighboring counties to receive the vaccine and also were inoculated.
John and Anita Oliver, also of Holmes Beach, said after Manatee switched to a vaccination “pool” system in January — with more than 100,000 residents age 65-plus and people from out of the county and state signing up — they looked for alternatives.
John Oliver obtained an appointment in St. Petersburg by visiting covid19.pinellascounty.org/vaccines and Anita Oliver snagged an appointment in Orlando.
As of press time for The Islander, they were awaiting the notification for their second dose.
“I must say, we feel a little guilty,” John said. “Florida has had a bit of a laissez-faire approach to COVID in general, some might even say a ‘Wild West’ approach. We are grateful, but not sure having a fast computer should be the priority in getting vaccinated. I’d rather see it targeted more to those that are at risk.”
When asked by The Islander if they planned to proceed with following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, including staying 6 feet from people outside their household and wearing a face covering, the Fullers, Smalls and Olivers all said “yes.”
“Even though we’ve been vaccinated, my husband and I would not go anywhere without a mask,” Zan Fuller said. “We must lead by example and stay the course. And it will be even harder to tell what is safe as more people get vaccinated, versus who isn’t.”
Bill Small mentioned the possibility of variants.
According to the CDC website, “Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been documented in the United States and globally during this pandemic.”
“With all of the possible variants that are now being discussed, I was just talking with Janet about double-masking when we go out to the grocer, for example,” Bill Small said. “So we’re going to continue doing what we’ve been doing, plus even more.”
Christopher Tittel, communications director for the Department of Health-Manatee, said the DOH will push CDC guidelines for all — vaccinated or not.
“We will continue to persist in the message that people must follow CDC guidelines,” Tittel told The Islander Jan. 28. “It is vital for our community that people realize we must do what we can to stay safe as we work through this.”
Vaccination numbers
About 21,257 Manatee residents “received at least their first vaccination as of Jan. 24.”
Of those, 9,683 people were vaccinated by DOH and county public safety teams at the public safety center and Bennett Park. Others were vaccinated at hospitals and long-term care facilities.
As of Jan. 29, the state vaccinated 273,249 people with both doses of the vaccine, up from 139,345 the week prior.
Vaccination location sites, including information to join the vaccination pool, are at floridahealthcovid19.gov.
Additionally, people can register at vax.mymanatee.org and the county has 311 operators available 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays to answer calls.
Case counts
Between Jan. 23-29, 905 new cases of the virus were reported in the county.
As of Jan. 29, 168 people in Holmes Beach, 69 people in Bradenton Beach and 49 people in Anna Maria had tested positive for COVID-19 since March 2020 — an increase of 20 cases compared with the week prior.
According to metrics provided by the DOH as of Jan. 29, 28,160 people tested positive for the virus in Manatee County since March 1, with 1,261 hospitalizations and 495 fatalities — an increase of 11 deaths in one week.
Of those testing positive, 518 were nonresidents, compared with 487 the week prior.