Get in line now because it is bound to grow.
Manatee County announced March 19 that it opened registration to its COVID-19 vaccine standby pool to everyone ages 18 and over, according to a news release.
County strategic affairs manager Chloe Conboy wrote in a March 19 email to The Islander that the change could make the local vaccine rollout more effective.
“The county decided it was worth it for us to open it up, so when it does open up, we can hit the ground running,” Conboy wrote. “We will continue to take a proactive approach and by doing this, it will help us schedule those appointments quicker whenever he expands the age again.”
While every adult now can join the registry, the county only will vaccinate those ages 50 and older until Gov. Ron DeSantis expands eligibility to younger people.
There was no timeline for when vaccine eligibility could be expanded again, but the county was “monitoring” for any action from DeSantis, according to Conboy.
In the meantime, the county began vaccinating people ages 50 and older the week beginning March 22 after contacting all registrants ages 65 and older at least once.
However, Conboy wrote that the county experienced some issues with registrants toward the end of the list of people ages 65 and older.
“We are starting to see many people not showing up to their appointment or telling us that they’ve been vaccinated elsewhere,” Conboy wrote.
She continued, “If you have received the vaccine elsewhere and you’re still registered in our vaccine standby pool, please call 311 to remove yourself from the pool.”
Conboy previously told The Islander that the registry is not a “lottery” — that everyone who signs up will be vaccinated despite varying wait times.
More than 98,819 county residents had received at least a first dose of the vaccine as of March 19, according to the Florida Department of Health.
The county also scheduled 16,400 first dose COVID-19 vaccinations for ages 50 and older at Tom Bennett Park and the Public Safety Center for March 22-26 — the largest weekly batch of doses yet.
“We are very pleased with how the process is going, but we will continue to look for ways to better serve our residents,” Conboy wrote.
To register in Manatee County’s vaccination enrollment process, go online to vax.mymanatee.org.
Also, COVID-19 vaccinations are available at select CVS, Publix, Walgreens, Walmart and Winn-Dixie locations in the county.
Registration with the county is open by appointment only to full- or part-time Florida residents aged 50 and older, as supply is available.
Frontline health care workers and educators also are receiving doses through a different pool.