COVID-19 vaccines began being distributed in Southwest Florida counties this week. Here is how distribution is being carried out Charlotte, Manatee, Collier, Hendry, Glades and Lee Counties.
Additional vaccination sites and dates will be added as more vaccines become available. For the latest updates, please refer to Florida Department of Health's individual county websites.
Charlotte County
COVID-19 vaccinations for high-risk frontline healthcare workers and those 65 and older will be offered in Charlotte County starting Wednesday, Dec. 30.
The vaccines are being distributed by the Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County. Vaccines are free and will be available by appointment only. Participants will be required to show identification. Healthcare workers will need to provide additional identification verifying their employment, like an ID badge or current paystub.
The covid-19 vaccines will be offered at a drive-through clinic site located at Harold Ave Regional Park in Port Charlotte beginning at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 30.
Appointments can be made online.
Manatee County
The Florida Department of Health in Manatee County received a limited quantity of COVID-19 vaccines on Monday, and will begin offering it to people 65 years of age and older this week..
In a statement, county officials said up to 300 seniors a day will receive the vaccine starting Wednesday, Dec. 30. COVID-19 vaccinations will be available at no cost, by appointment only.
Manatee County residence is not required to receive the vaccine, but visitors must remain in the county to receive the second dose, which must be taken 28 days after the initial shot.
Vaccines will be distributed Dec. 30 and Dec. 31 at the Public Safety Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. On Jan. 1 through Jan. 4, a vaccination site will be held at Bennett Park from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m..
Additional COVID vaccination dates and sites will be added as more vaccines become available.
Collier County
The Florida Department of Health in Collier County released a statement on Monday saying the department “does not have the vaccine.”
In that same statement, DOH-Collier Public Information Officer Kristine Hollingsworth said “the vaccine is part of a nationwide effort and there will not be any exclusions based on residency.”
Once the vaccines arrive, frontline healthcare workers and people 65 years of age and older will register at the time of vaccine administration.
According to a newsletter released by Collier County Commissioner Penny Taylor, NCH Healthcare System has received 49,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and will begin offering it to employees at “highest risk” for contracting the virus.
Lee County
The Florida Department of Health in Lee County opened three COVID-19 vaccine test sites for frontline healthcare workers and people 65 years old and older.
On Tuesday, Lee County Manager Roger Desjarlais said during a press conference that all three vaccination sites reached capacity as of 7 a.m..
Appointments or pre-registration are not required for those eligible for the COVID vaccine at this time.
Due to the large turnout for the vaccine, DOH-Lee Administrator Angela Smith said her department is working with healthcare companies to vaccinate frontline workers separately.
“We’re actually doing some ancillary sites for our healthcare workers because we do recognize as their working, they can’t run over during their lunch hour if we’re already at capacity,” Smith said.
Desjarlais said the county is working with its IT department to find a way to streamline vaccine distribution.
“We’ll have greeters, we’ll have portals, we’ll have social distancing markers, line control measures, continues use of numbering stations,” Desjarlais said. “Lee county IT is evaluating Tech options for the potential reservation system.”
Desjarlais said the Florida Department of Health will release a schedule for additional vaccine sites in the county by the end of the week.
Hendry & Glades Counties
On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health in Hendry and Glades Counties announced it received a limited quantity of the Moderna COVID vaccine.
The department will start accepting calls for appointments for seniors 65 years of age and older, long-term care facility residents and staff and frontline healthcare workers.
A consent form must be completed in order to receive the vaccine.
Here is the current schedule for vaccines:
Monday, Jan. 4 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Hendry County Health Department (863) 674-4041
1140 Pratt Blvd. LaBelle, FL 33935
Tuesday Jan. 5 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Hendry County Health Department (863) 983-1408
1100 S. Olympia, Clewiston, FL 33440
Wednesday Jan. 6 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Glades County Health Department (863) 946-0707
1021 Healthpark Drive, Moore Haven, FL 34471
