As of Tuesday afternoon, 4,173 appointments had been administered at the state supported immunization site since its soft launch last week.
On Wednesday, we added second dose appointments. We have received a lot of positive feedback about the site and will continue to listen for opportunities to improve the process as we work to increase immunization appointments in the coming weeks.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Health in Lake County (DOH-Lake), together with county staff, first responders, community partners and volunteers are all doing their part to support immunization in Lake County. Because of their hard work, Lake County is among the top five Florida counties leading in vaccine distribution per capita and I would like to thank them for their personal sacrifices and their unwavering commitment to serving our residents.
As we work to increase vaccine distribution, rest assured that appointments have been made based on existing supply. Vaccine recipients are urged to arrive as close to their scheduled appointment time as possible to help manage wait times and the flow of operations. Additionally, residents should be ready to present their appointment confirmation, proof of Florida residency, photo identification, and CDC card (if second dose appointment). Persons who visit the site before receiving a call back to confirm their appointment will be turned away. As a reminder, appointments can be made by calling the State’s hotline at 866-201-6909 (or 833-476-1031 for TTY users) or by visiting the State’s Sharecare site at https://myvaccine.fl.gov.
Last week, we sent out a scam alert after receiving reports of fraudulent callers impersonating the Sharecare system to obtain personal information. I want to remind residents that Social Security numbers and payment details are not required for your appointment. The Federal Trade Commission has issued coronavirus advice for consumers to help avoid scams. It is unfortunate that there are people trying to take advantage of our seniors and the situation presented by the pandemic. The Florida Division of Emergency Management and local law enforcement have notified and are investigating.
With more than a million seniors vaccinated, Florida leads the nation in vaccination of seniors. As a reminder, the state’s immunization plan is a multifaceted initiative with several options for immunization currently available with many more on the horizon. As our county receives additional vaccine from the State, we will work to swiftly deploy it to our community.
In our ongoing response to COVID-19, we will continue to collaborate with DOH-Lake and the Florida Division of Emergency Management to address your concerns and support immunization throughout Lake County.
Sean Parks is chairman of the Lake County Board of Commissioners.
