Pinellas County administered more than 12,300 initial doses of the coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday, according to authorities, including doses administered by the county health department, hospitals and employees of CVS and Walgreens pharmacies who work in nursing homes in the county. area.
While Tampa Bay residents await news when they can get vaccinated against coronavirus, each county is working on its own plan.
Pinellas has been slower in distribution than some neighboring counties, but “we don’t want to do it fast, we want to do it right,” said Tom Iovino, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County.
“We are starting from scratch,” said Iovino, who notes that the municipality is still finalizing the details of its vaccination plans. “Once we have the information, we will be able to provide it.”
“We are asking people to be patient,” he said.
None of the vaccine doses received so far from the state have gone to waste, according to Iovino. The county is unable to discriminate the number of people vaccinated by profession – such as firefighters, police officers or health professionals – any more than it would be able to do this with the seasonal flu vaccine, he said.
Pinellas was selected as one of the first two counties in Florida to vaccinate nursing home residents. Among the 68 county facilities, 6,700 employees and residents were vaccinated, according to a media release released on Wednesday by the county health department.
The next priority is to create a plan for the general public aged 65 and over. These vaccinations are scheduled to start on January 5, Iovino said.
The county will use a reservation system that will allow individuals to schedule an appointment in advance and “know that there is a vaccine waiting for them,” said Iovino. The aim is to limit waste and ensure that those waiting in line are not refused, he said.
People will be able to register online and by phone. The telephone number and website address have not been released, but are expected to go live at noon on January 4. The priority for this phase will be based on the individual’s ability to secure a reserve slot.
Pinellas County has not yet received a vaccine shipment from the state for this phase, Iovino said, and is unsure how many doses it will receive. The municipality has not received a finalized vaccination plan from the state and has access only to the draft state plan published in October, he said.
The county health department is trying to answer community calls and is working with Pinellas County Emergency Management staff to recruit additional operators due to the high demand for calls.
Whoever calls Pinellas’ health today will know that the plan is being formalized. When it is, the department will share information on social media and county websites and inform local media, religious communities and organizations like the Pinellas County Urban League, Iovino said.
As more doses arrive, the county will work with commercial pharmacies, doctors’ offices and clinics to become vaccination sites, he said.
The state publishes an updated number of people vaccinated by county each day. Pinellas County will not publish its own data separately.