FEMA sites now offer Pfizer or J&J recordings

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Starting Saturday morning, both the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available at Gateway Mall, Normandy Community Center, and Hammond Senior Center in Jacksonville.

Any eligible person who receives a vaccine at one of the three Federal Emergency Management Agency locations in Jacksonville will be given a choice of a vaccine.

• Gateway Mall – 5200 Norwood Avenue – 7am ​​to 7pm

• Hammond Senior Center – 3312 West 12 St.

• Normandy Community Center – 1751 Lindsey Road

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The Duval County Alert System sent a message Saturday morning to remind those who signed up for the system who is now eligible for a COVID-19 shot.

Those currently eligible for a vaccine at a FEMA site include:

• Residents and staff of long-term care institutions;

• Persons aged 65 and over;

• Healthcare personnel with direct patient contact;

• All school staff and childcare workers;

• The highly medically vulnerable persons of any age with a signed waiver from your physician;

• Sworn law enforcement officers 50 and older; and

• Firefighters aged 50 and over.

After many changes in who is eligible for admission, some said they thought more people would come out on Saturday, especially teachers – as they are the first weekend admissions available to them, regardless of age, in the city .

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But there were no lines at the Gateway Mall on Saturday.

“I think this is just the point of getting the message back to the community that they can come out here and get the shot,” said Demita Gamble, who was vaccinated on Saturday.

FEMA said about 790 people were vaccinated at Gateway Mall on Saturday. That is slightly more than a third of the 2,000 shots it can deliver on site per day.

It was a rainy end to the COVID-19 vaccinations for the first Saturday at Gateway Town Center.

“I expected there would be a longer line,” said a Duval County teacher.

“I don’t think it’s being advertised enough, and a lot of people really don’t know it’s going on,” said Roosevelt Gamble, who was vaccinated.

There were many changes in who gets and who doesn’t get the chance on this site. Some people said this could be one of the reasons why there is not much turnout at the moment.

“I think a lot of people are just skeptical about it and a little bit scared of it,” said Maxine Frison, who got the vaccine on Saturday.

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The Department of Health said 137,499 people have completed their vaccination series in Duval County as of Friday. The series includes both doses of Pfizer and Moderna and Johnson and Johnson’s single shot.

The Department of Health said 1,902,314 people in the state have completed the vaccination series, which means admissions from Pfizer and / or Moderna as well as a single admission from J&J. Of these, 1,413,491 people are 65 and older.

The site at Gateway Mall is open seven days a week from 7am to 7pm

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he expects to lower the eligibility age from 65 and to 60 or 55 and above as more vaccines become available later this month.