Dozens of people turned away from the Edward Waters College vaccination site

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dozens of people who made appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the new Edward Waters College community site on Friday morning were turned down for being allowed to register even though they didn’t meet the qualifications.

The medical staff who run the site said the digital registration program allowed people to sign up without adequate pre-screening for age. Currently in Florida, only people 65 and older and health professionals are prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Because of the error, dozens of people signed up through the online system, received a confirmation with a QR code, and were told to show up at the vaccination site and present that code to receive the vaccine. Agape Family Health Center staff told News4Jax that the registration system did not notify people that they were not of the age or profession to qualify under current guidelines.

Gov. Ron DeSantis visited EWC Thursday to announce a new COVID-19 vaccination site in the old James Weldon Johnson Middle School gym on campus. The state-run site offers 200 vaccinations a day, seven days a week, and targets residents of Northwest Jacksonville, DeSantis said.

Officials running the site encouraged people to register online, but people can also make an appointment in person.

Mia Jones, CEO of Agape, which is helping the state run the site, said residents in the New Town neighborhood are given priority. Registration is based on zip code.

The site at the school was one of six COVID-19 vaccination sites opened Thursday to provide better access to the vaccine for disadvantaged populations in Broward, Duval, Leon, Miami-Dade and Osceola counties.

“This site is especially important to our seniors in Northwest Jacksonville and we are extremely pleased that the EWC will continue its legacy as an important resource with impact for all of our residents of the city and especially our New Town residents, many of whom represent demographics disproportionately affected by this horrifying COVID-19 virus, ”said EWC President Dr. A. Zachary Faison Jr.

DeSantis said Thursday that the age for Florida residents who can receive the coronavirus vaccine will be lowered “sometime in March.”

“I’ve said from the start we’re going to lower the age, and once we’re in a situation where the seniors are taken care of, you know, we’re going to see if we’re going to do that,” DeSantis said. “So it will happen, I would say, without a doubt, barring any issues with vaccine distribution, you will definitely see the age drop sometime in March.”

The visit to Jacksonville comes just days after DeSantis announced that law enforcement officers and educators over 50 will have the chance to get vaccinated next week at federal locations opening in the state, including one in Jacksonville.

“We think we can do that given the supplemental vaccine without affecting the older population,” said DeSantis.

Desantis pushed back on Wednesday at criticism that his government, unlike other states, had not mapped out a priority group for the next phase of vaccine rollout.

‘If you notice that many of those people have adopted plans, and then they have already had to change the plans. We did not. We looked at the recommendations of ACIP and CDC and we rejected them respectively and said we put our seniors first, ”said DeSantis.

DeSantis said on Wednesday that his government does not want to open up vaccinations to more groups and does not want the supply to meet the demand.

“We are going to do it based on the facts and circumstances on site. Based on the availability of vaccines and based on the progress of reaching the population aged 65 and older, ”said DeSantis.

Source

Share this:

Related