- April 26, 2024
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Most seniors ages 65 and over will have to wait for another day to get their vaccinations, as all appointments were booked within 10 minutes of their availability being announced, according to a Jan. 4 press release from Flagler County Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Health-Flagler.
The original announcement reported that vaccinations would be available for those ages 65 and older beginning Jan. 5. "Appointments are required and will be limited by the number of available doses," the notice said. "Appointments can be made online today after 1 p.m. by visiting www.flaglercounty.org, and clicking on the COVID-19 link. Those without Internet access can call 386-313-4200."
You can also receive updates about vaccination available by texting "FlaglerCOVID" to 888-777.
“The most efficient way to schedule an appointment will be through our website. Only if you do not have access to the Internet, we suggest calling the call center between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday,” Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said. “Once all of the available doses are accounted for, we will stop accepting appointments. We will re-open the process after the Florida Department of Health-Flagler receives additional vaccine.”
Health care professionals who do not work directly for a hospital, nursing home or long-term care facility were also offered vaccinations Jan. 2, according to the county's Facebook page, with 550 doses being administered, according to Flagler Health Matters. Now, appointments are expanded to include seniors.
"Health care workers and anyone ages 65 and older may register for an appointment, and will need to make another appointment 28 days later to receive their second round of the Moderna vaccine," the press release states.
“There are no special accommodations for patients with preexisting conditions at this time,” DOH-Flagler Health Officer Bob Snyder said. “We are required to follow the guidelines established by Gov. Ron DeSantis.”
Some residents were critical of the statewide rollout of vaccines. One wrote in an email to the Palm Coast Observer that the "free-for-all" approach was keeping people "on edge." Others, however, reported on the Flagler County Government Facebook page that they were able to register online without any trouble.
The county's concern about traffic backup is evident in the direction to not arrive earlier than 15 minutes to an appointment at the Flagler County Fairgrounds, 150 Sawgrass Road, Bunnell, where the vaccinations will be administered.
On Jan. 4, Gov. Ron DeSantis tweeted a link to these four steps the state is taking as the rollout continues:
1) Expanding access to vaccine with additional state-supported sites.
Governor DeSantis has directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to work with the Florida Department of Health to identify state-run COVID-19 testing sites that can convert into vaccine sites. Additional information regarding the locations of these sites will be available in the coming days.
2) Deploying the vaccine into underserved communities.
Governor DeSantis has directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to identify places of worship and other locations in underserved communities where the vaccine may be administered. Florida has already begun a pilot program in Escambia County, where over 500 seniors have received their vaccine and have been scheduled for their booster shot, which they will receive at the same location.
3) Reinforcing vaccination efforts with additional staff.
Governor DeSantis has directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to immediately hire 1,000 contract nurses to support vaccination efforts. These nurses will be deployed throughout the entire state to help run vaccination sites, including public sites run by the state or counties and private sites such as South Seminole Hospital. These nurses will supplement the many personnel already in the field, including 800 Florida National Guardsmen, who have been supporting the state’s response since the beginning of the pandemic.
4) Continuing to prioritize long-term care facility residents.
Governor DeSantis is directing the Florida Division of Emergency Management to assume additional responsibilities regarding the administration of vaccines in Florida’s over 3,000 assisted living facilities, supplementing and accelerating the efforts being undertaken by CVS and Walgreens, pursuant to their agreement with the federal government.
For those who need not a vaccination but a COVID-19 test, no reservations are necessary; they will take place 1:30-3 p.m. weekdays at the site across from 120 Airport Road. These are not rapid tests and results are available in two to three days.
Tests are also available at two Mediquick locations, CentraCare and CVS Pharmacies. Call ahead for appointments in those locations.
COVID-19 health-related questions should be directed to a health care provider or the Florida Health hotline at 866-779-6121. Additional information can be found at floridahealthcovid19.gov/.
