MANATEE COUNTY – If you’ve been waiting to get a COVID-19 vaccine at the county-run Tom Bennett Park vaccination site, your chances to get that first shot are about to be limited.
In an April 7 press release, county officials announced that with vaccine doses becoming available through local pharmacies and doctors’ offices, they’re closing the standby waiting pool for vaccine appointments. The final patients still in the waiting pool who respond to the automated phone call, text and email sent on behalf of Manatee County will be scheduled for first vaccine appointments April 13-15 at Tom Bennett Park.
Registration for the standby waiting pool will be closed at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 12.
If you miss your opportunity to get an appointment for your first vaccination through Manatee County, officials will be hosting a first-come-first-served vaccination clinic from 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, April 21. Anyone receiving a first vaccine dose during the April 21 event will receive their second dose on May 19.
For anyone who’s already had their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine through Manatee County, the second dose vaccination site at the Manatee County Public Safety Center will remain open through the end of the day April 30. After that, the remaining second doses will be administered at Tom Bennett Park.
For more information on receiving a second vaccine dose through Manatee County, or to download a consent form, visit the second dose site online.
To receive a second dose at one of the Manatee County sites, patients must show their card showing the first dose of the vaccine, valid photo identification and a completed copy of the vaccine consent form available to download online.
For more information on receiving a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine through Manatee County, visit the COVID-19 vaccine website or call 311.
All Florida residents aged 18 and older are eligible to receive a vaccine through Manatee County.
County officials will continue to monitor the demand for first dose administration at the Tom Bennett Park site through the end of the month to determine if that site needs to remain open for COVID-19 vaccination first doses.
COVID-19 vaccines are available for ages 16 and older, with parent or guardian permission for those under 18, through area CVS, Publix, Walgreens, Walmart and Winn-Dixie locations.
For a vaccine appointment at CVS, visit the pharmacy online.
Appointments at area Publix locations open at 7 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week. Appointments booked on Wednesdays are for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Appointments booked on Mondays and Fridays are for the Moderna vaccine. For more information, visit them online.
For appointments through Walgreens locations, visit the pharmacy’s website.
To book an appointment at a local Walmart pharmacy, visit their COVID-19 vaccine webpage.
Appointments at Winn-Dixie locations can be booked online.
Related coverage
Manatee County offers vaccine registration to those 18 or older
More people eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine
