MANATEE COUNTY, FL (March 26, 2021) – Manatee County has begun scheduling 8,000 first dose COVID-19 vaccine appointments for next week for adults 40 and older at Tom Bennett Park and the Public Safety Center.
The Public Safety Department and the Health Department in Manatee County will administer another 8,000 second-dose vaccines next week, as well.
Anyone ages 18 and over interested in receiving the vaccination should enroll in the County’s online registration system by going to vax.mymanatee.org or by calling Manatee County’s call center at 311. Anyone 18 and over can enroll for the standby pool and Manatee County will begin vaccinating patients younger than 40 on April 5.
As of March 25, nearly 86,058 patients have received at least a first dose of the vaccine through a Manatee County operated vaccination site. Manatee County has contacted everyone 50 and up in their standby pool at least once and will begin vaccinating newly eligible patients 40 and over on Monday.
“Working closely with the Department of Health in Manatee County, we vaccinated those 50 and older who were registered in our standby pool very quickly,” said Public Safety Director Jacob Saur. “It's important for any adult who wants to receive a vaccination to enroll in our online registration system. There are far fewer people in the pool than one month ago and the wait to receive a call for an appointment is typically very short for someone who enrolls today.”
Among age groups 50 - 64, there are fewer than 3,400 patients in the standby pool awaiting a first dose of the vaccine. There are 3,018 patients ages 40 - 49 in the standby pool and 3,622 who are under age 40. A total of 9,968 patients are currently in Manatee County's standby vaccination pool. Next week the County will be attempting to contact roughly 7,000 enrolled numbers (mostly 65 and older patients) that have been unresponsive multiple times. If the County cannot contact those 7,000 numbers, they will be removed from the standby pool.
Manatee County COVID-19 vaccine appointment notifications will come from a number familiar to those already in the County’s standby pool: (941) 742-4300. (Those who enroll for text notifications will receive updates from 88911.) Anyone enrolling in the County’s standby pool should program that number in their phones, so the call does not appear as Spam.
It is important to reply to the call or text as quickly as possible since appointments will go to those who respond promptly. After you select one of the options, you will receive a follow-up message via phone, text and/or email confirming your appointment date, time and location. Learn more about the process and view a brief video here.