​Manatee County Coronavirus Vaccines: What You Need To Know

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — As coronavirus vaccine distribution continues throughout Florida and across the country, here’s everything you need to know about registering for the vaccine in Manatee County.

Once you register for a vaccine, your name will be added to a standby pool.

Through Manatee County’s registration system, anybody who signs up to receive a coronavirus vaccine will be added to a stand-by pool. As vaccine doses become available, names will be randomly selected from this pool.

Operators at the county's 311 call center will contact those selected to make a vaccination appointment. They'll try calling people twice before adding their names back to the pool. If contacted, you can register up to two people at a time.

To add your name to the pool, you can register anytime online here or by calling 311 or 941-748-4501 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Manatee County has opted out of the state registration system.

Florida recently launched a statewide vaccine registration system, but Manatee County has opted out of this process. Instead, it will continue registering people through its own system.

“Local seniors who have enrolled with the local registration system do not need to enroll in the new state system,” the county said on its COVID-19 vaccine webpage. “Signing up for state’s My Vaccine system will not get you a vaccination appointment in Manatee County because the system is not yet in use in our county.”

Vaccine doses are only available to Florida residents.

If you’re hoping to receive a vaccine in Manatee County or elsewhere in Florida, you’re required to be a state resident, either full-time or part-time, the county said. At your appointment, you’ll need to show proof of residency: a valid Florida driver’s license or ID card, rental agreements, or utility bills with your name on them.

Manatee County residency is not required to receive the vaccine there.

Like what you're reading? Invite a friend to subscribe to free Bradenton newsletters and real-time email alerts.

Technical assistance is available to seniors struggling to register.

Throughout the vaccine distribution process, many seniors have struggled to register through the county’s system. The county is offering some technical assistance to these individuals, the Observer reported.

Manatee Libraries and the Elder Hotline, which is operated by Manatee County Aging and Eligibility Services, will step up to help.

At Manatee Libraries, seniors will find copies of the vaccine screening and consent form, and they can also ask librarians to walk them through the registration process, reports said. Additional help is available through the Elder Hotline, a 24/7 phone line, by calling 914-742-5818.

The county will call you to book your second appointment.

If you’ve received your first vaccine dose through Manatee County, the county will contact you when it’s time for your booster shot. This will be scheduled for either 21 or 28 days after the initial shot, depending on whether you received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

The call will come from 941-742-4300 and a text message will be sent from 88911. If, for some reason, a patient does not receive a call or text, they should call 311 to book the second date.

"In order for that call not to get flagged as spam by some phones, we're strongly recommending that seniors add the phone number to their list of contacts beforehand," said Public Safety Director Jacob Saur. "If they can do that, their phone will recognize the call coming from a known party and we'll be able to connect with you for that second appointment."

Tom Bennett Park continues to serve as the county's central coronavirus vaccine distribution site.

Tom Bennett Park in Bradenton has been closed since New Year's Eve as Manatee County and the Department of Health transformed it into the county's main coronavirus vaccination distribution site.

The park remains closed to the public, and all services and athletic activities have been moved to other county parks.

The vaccine remains available only to frontline health care workers, those in long-term care facilities, and people 65 and older.

As Florida moves through this first phase of vaccination, the state continues to target three communities: frontline health care workers with direct patient contact, residents and staff in long-term care facilities, and individuals who are 65 and older. Hospitals can also choose to vaccinate those they feel are vulnerable to coronavirus.

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order prioritizing these groups in December.