COVID-19 vaccines offered for the first time arrive and begin Monday at two Jacksonville senior centers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Starting Monday, Duval County residents age 65 and older, front-line medical workers and first aid will be able to be vaccinated against COVID-19 at two Jacksonville senior centers, not by appointment previous, but depending on the month of birth.

Vaccines will still be given by appointment at the Prime Osborn convention center, but demand for appointments has exceeded supply, which is likely to continue in the near future. In response, the city announced last week that it was converting senior centers in Mandarin and Westside from COVID-19 test sites to vaccine sites.

Slowly but surely, vaccine distribution plans are expanding to different locations in the city and state.

“If you look this week, we’re going to do 50,000 to 60,000 shots in the state of Florida,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “We’ll do a lot more when we get more vaccines.”

Although more vaccines are available, doctors in the area say this process needs to be organized.

“There is no coordinated plan to vaccinate 800,000 people from a priority perspective and there is no established equity in the system,” said Dr. Jeffery Goldhagen, head of community pediatrics at UF Health.

All patients must provide photo identification showing their date of birth and proof of residence in Duval County. First aiders and health workers must also wear a work badge.

Although vaccinations will be given on a first-come, first-served basis (no appointment required), eligible residents should only visit a vaccination site on the day associated with their month of birth according to the following schedule:

• Monday – January and February
• Tuesday – March and April
• Wednesday – May and June
• Thursday – July and August
• Friday – September and October
• Saturday – November and December

These two vaccination sites will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday:

• Mandarin Senior Center, 3848 Hartley Road
• Lane Wiley Senior Center, 6710 Wiley Road

Between the two sites, the city expects to vaccinate just under 1,000 people each day with the Pfizer vaccine: Mandarin will provide 500 vaccines a day, while up to 475 vaccines will be distributed in Lane Wiley, according to the city. When the daily supply is exhausted, the remaining patients will have the option to return the assigned day the following week or make an appointment with the Florida Department of Health for the location of Prime Osborn.

After receiving the vaccine, patients should remain in place for at least 15 minutes for health care and emergency professionals to monitor for possible reactions. Depending on the medical history, some people may have to wait 30 minutes. Although allergic reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine are rare, according to the city, this safety measure is underway with great caution. Patients will be able to choose to receive email reminders and text messages about their second dose.

The first Osborn still has only one appointment, but doctors say these three places and hospitals will not be enough.

“The idea that we will depend on them to implement our vaccination campaign is not a viable plan to vaccinate more than 800,000 people and do it equitably,” Goldhagen said.

Goldhagen said there should be plans for elementary schools, health, community and emergency operations centers to prepare to distribute the vaccine when supply is available.

“In minority and low-income communities, in the same context that we have a food desert, we also have pharmacy deserts,” he said.

Pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens could soon have distribution plans, while DeSantis said announcements about distributions should soon arrive on Publix locations.

To help with a safe and organized vaccination process, patients should follow the following guidelines:

• You must wear masks at all times.
• Physical distancing requirements must be followed at all times.
• People who feel bad should not go to a vaccination site.
• Patients should be in line no later than 6 p.m.
• Only caregivers can accompany patients who need care at a vaccination site.
• Patients should park in designated parking areas; patients cannot be left.
• You will not be allowed to park or wait in line for the night.
• Patients should follow the traffic patterns and instructions of the traffic monitors (is a map available at JaxReady.com/Virus?).

Patients should print and bring a complete DOH vaccine verification and consent form to the vaccination site. The form is available at COJ.net/CovidVaccineForm.

The Duval County State Department of Health began administering Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 4 to anyone 65 and older and health care workers who could request an appointment.

New appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine will be added through the online system every Thursday at 5 p.m., the health department said. On Thursday, more than 400,000 people tried to get online to book the new set of appointments, temporarily blocking the website. All appointments were booked in less than an hour.

The health department said the link will change weekly and will be posted on the alert page on the department’s website: duval.floridahealth.gov.

For questions, citizens can visit JaxReady.com/Virus or call 630-CITY (2489) to stay connected with a customer service representative.