Manatee County Receives 1,000 Surprise Vaccine Doses: Report

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Manatee County received 1,000 surprise doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine Monday. Initially, the county had been told it would receive limited or no new doses this week.

To distribute the vaccine, 900 names will be randomly selected from Manatee’s vaccination standby pool and contacted by the county’s 3-1-1 callers to book an appointment, Manatee County tweeted Tuesday. There are 95,000 people 65 and older who want to receive the vaccination on that waiting list.

The Manatee Board of County Commissioners approved this new lottery-like vaccination distribution system Jan. 6. In this new system, those interested in receiving the vaccine can register their name, so they're added to the standby pool.

As doses become 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 interested in registering to enter this pool can do so online here at any time or by calling 3-1-1 or 941-748-4501 Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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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, 11,555 people in Manatee County have received at least their first dose of the vaccine as of early Tuesday morning.