3 federal vaccination sites in Jacksonville to stop taking the first doses next week

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Starting next Wednesday, only the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be available on federally supported sites in Jacksonville, including Gateway Shopping Mall and its two satellite sites in Oceanway and Jacksonville Beach.

Tuesday, March 24, will be the last day for people who qualify to receive a first dose from federally supported sites in Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando and Miami. It will only take two days for newly qualified people between the ages of 50 and 60 to be vaccinated at the largest vaccination clinic in Northeast Florida.

The only exception: the state intends to provide the Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccine in the last two weeks of surgery.

Those looking for the first doses will be able to make appointments at retail pharmacies such as Walmart and Publix, as well as at state vaccination clinics such as Regency Square Mall and Edward Waters College.

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The federally-supported sites are scheduled to remain open for eight weeks and close on April 28, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management. State officials say the operation may be expanded to meet growing demand.

The state understands how critical these vaccination sites are in increasing vaccine access to Floridians. The state is working closely with the federal government to assess whether these sites can remain open on April 28, “said a statement from the Florida Division of Emergency Management. This operation can be extended based on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, increased vaccine allocation and resource availability.

According to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the FEMA satellite vaccination sites in Jacksonville at the Oceanway Community Center and Carver Center in Jacksonville Beach will move back to the Normandy Community Center and Hammond Senior Center for the next three weeks. State officials say they want people to be able to return to where they received the first dose for the second shot.

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The end of the first doses at the FEMA sites in Jacksonville is happening while Governor Ron Desantis is publicly discussing the waiver of the full age requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine. At a news conference on Friday, Governor Desantis said he would likely reduce the age limit to 16 and over before May 1.

Federal locations in Jacksonville have added more than 4,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine a day to supplies in northeast Florida. The Gateway Mall alone is capable of vaccinating 3,000 people every day.

Federal-supported sites in Jacksonville have not experienced a single day in which daily dose allocation has been used.

As of March 3, the five state and federal sites in Jacksonville have administered only about 60 percent of the doses available to each other, on average, each day.

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Incident commander Ron Beesley said FEMA sent hundreds of employees to communities to inform them not only about vaccination clinics, but also to provide transportation to locations.

“We hope that the expansion will move the needle in the near future. We see a change in our demographics, a positive movement on that side. But we still see a lot of misinformation out there, “Beesley said. “One is, ‘They’ll put a chip in me and follow me.’ This is 100% false. Another is “they will inject me with coronavirus.” This is also 100% false. ”

Another hurdle was the eligibility criteria for a vaccine in Florida, especially age limits. By Monday, only firefighters and law enforcement officers over the age of 50, school staff, the medically vulnerable, health care workers and those aged 60 and over can receive a COVID-19 shooting.

A few weeks ago, the Gateway vaccination site in Jacksonville created a stand-by list for those who do not meet the criteria. The people on the list will be called if there is an unused dose taken, but there is no one in line to meet the criteria. On Monday, the incident commander said there was no unused dose taken in six days.

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“This list is over 300 at the moment and many of them do not meet the criteria. So there is an interest outside the current criteria, “said Beesley.