3 federal vaccine sites in Jacksonville to stop giving first doses next week

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. As of next Wednesday, only second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be available at federally supported locations in Jacksonville, including the Gateway Shopping Mall and the two satellite locations in Oceanway and Jacksonville Beach.

Tuesday, March 24 is the last day for people eligible for a first dose from the federally supported sites of Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando and Miami. Newly qualified people between the ages of 50-60 will have just two days left to be vaccinated at the largest vaccination clinic in Northeast Florida.

The one exception: The state plans to offer the single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine during the last two weeks of surgery.

Those seeking first doses can still book appointments at retail pharmacies such as Walmart and Publix, as well as state vaccination clinics such as Regency Square Mall and Edward Waters College.

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According to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the federally supported sites would remain open for eight weeks and close on April 28. State officials say it is possible the operation could be expanded to meet increasing demand.

“The state understands how critical these vaccination sites are to increase access to vaccines for Floridians. The state is working closely with the federal government to evaluate whether these sites can remain open after April 28, ”said a statement from the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “This surgery can be expanded based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, increased vaccine allocations and resource availability.”

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

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The end of the first doses at the FEMA locations in Jacksonville takes place as Governor Ron Desantis publicly discusses that the age requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine will be completely lifted. At a press conference Friday, Governor Desantis said he will likely lower the age limit to 16 and older before May 1.

Federal locations in Jacksonville added more than 4,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Northeast Florida stockpile daily. At the Gateway Shopping Mall alone, 3,000 people can be vaccinated every day.

The federally aided sites in Jacksonville have not yet seen a single day of using the daily allocation of doses.

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

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Incident Commander Ron Beesley said the FEMA has dispatched hundreds of personnel to enter the communities to not only notify them of vaccination clinics, but also provide transportation to the sites.

“We hope that outreach moves the needle in the near future. We are seeing a shift in our demographics, a positive movement on that point. But we still see that there is a lot of misinformation, ”said Beesley. “One is’ they are going to put a chip in me and follow me ‘.’ That is 100% wrong. Another is’ they are going to inject me the corona virus’. That is also 100% wrong.”

Another obstacle was the qualification criteria for getting a vaccine in Florida, especially age limits. Until Monday, only firefighters and sworn law enforcement agencies over 50, school personnel, the medically vulnerable, health workers and people over 60 can receive a COVID-19 injection.

The Gateway vaccine site in Jacksonville set up a standby list a few weeks ago for those who don’t meet the criteria. People on the list will be called if an unused dose has been withdrawn, but no one in the queue meets the criteria. On Monday, the incident commander said no unused dose had been taken in six days.

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“That list is currently over 300 and many of them do not meet the criteria. So there is interest outside of the current criteria, ”said Beesley.