18,000 Enroll Overnight In Manatee County's New Vaccine Registry

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — More than 18,000 people enrolled in Manatee County’s new coronavirus vaccine registry by Friday morning after launching Thursday night, the county tweeted.

In the new system, residents interested in receiving the vaccine can register their name, so they're added to an open-ended vaccine standby pool. Whenever more doses are available, names from this pool will be randomly selected to receive the vaccine. These individuals will receive a call to set up an appointment time.

Those who want to add their name to the pool can register online at vax.mymanatee.org. Starting Friday morning, people can also register by calling 311 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The decision to adopt a new way of registering individuals 65 and older for their COVID-19 vaccine comes after more than a week of frustration as time slots filled up quickly. On Monday, the Department of Health in Manatee County's Eventbrite registration page crashed as people clamored to register for 1,200 available appointments.

The Manatee Board of County Commissioners approved the new lottery system Wednesday. The goal is to give those who are less tech-savvy a greater chance of registering for the vaccine, Public Safety Director Jacob Saur said.

"We didn't want them pushed out because they can't get to a 311 operator or a computer quick enough," he said. "We didn't want another mad rush to the site, because we know that brings it to its knees when folks rush to be first on the waiting list."

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Learn more about the county's vaccination plan at www.mymanatee.org/vaccine.

Florida's COVID-19 Vaccine Report will also be updated daily at www.FloridaHealthCOVID19.gov. This report includes a breakdown of who has received the vaccine by age, race, gender and county. According to the report, 8,298 people in Manatee County have receive at least their first dose of the vaccine as of Thursday.