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Leon County Health Department receives next shipment of COVID-19 vaccines

Not taking online appointments -- for now
Covid vaccine
Posted at 3:10 PM, Jan 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-07 15:40:05-05

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — FSU, TMH, Bethel AME Church and Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee are among some of the organizations that will soon be deploying COVID-19 vaccines.

The Florida Department of Health in Leon County (DOH-Leon) announced several new developments Thursday in their effort to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.

So far, the health department has successfully administered 1,921 vaccines. That's out of 14,000 individuals who have requested to have a vaccine appointment through their call center or online portal.

DOH-Leon said that they were also making improvements to their appointment system so the department has closed the current online request for vaccine appointments in anticipation of a new scheduling program to increase their efficiency.

"DOH-Leon is working with our partners at the Leon County Emergency Management office to deploy an automated system to call back the thousands of individuals who are waiting for updates on their status," health officials wrote in a press release sent Thursday.

As they work on fulfilling appointments, the department said a shipment of 4,875 doses of the Pfizer vaccine has arrived.

They said some of the Moderna vaccine, as well as some of the new shipment, has been shared with the department's community partners, Florida State University being among set to receive to offer to eligible faculty and staff, 65 and older who want to be vaccinated.

DOH-Leon has also partnered with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to distribute 3,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to Leon County residents 65 years and older.

Once the vaccines are in hand, Capital Health Plan, Tallahassee Primary Care Associates and TMH Physician Partners will be administering the vaccine to eligible patients.

"These organizations have established vaccine medical teams who have carefully set criteria and thoughtfully reviewed patients who will be eligible to receive these initial 3,000 doses," officials wrote. "Patients were selected based on their age, current health conditions and overall health status to ensure the patients with the greatest need receive the vaccine first."

Bond Health Clinic and Neighborhood Medical Center are also working directly with the department to provide vaccines to their patients.

Due to the limited supply, eligible patients are being contacted directly by their primary care provider’s office so you should not reach out directly to the organizations above at this time.

Bethel AME Church and Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee will also soon be deploying COVID-19 vaccines into underserved areas.

They have a vaccination clinic scheduled for Sunday, January 10 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. by appointment only at 501 West Orange Street.

"This will be a long process. As we roll forward, vaccines will become available to more and more Leon County residents," health officials wrote. "We are looking forward to advancing into the next phases of the Governor’s vaccine distribution plan as soon as we possibly can, again, dependent on the supply of vaccine that comes to Leon County."

All of the department's vaccination clinics are now operating at the Municipal Way Administration Building from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. though they stress clinics could change based on vaccine supply, weather, and other circumstances.

The state-wide COVID-19 Call center is also answering questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. The center is staffed 24/7. Residents should call: 1-866-779-6121.