No new shipments of COVID-19 vaccine expected this week in Manatee County

Manatee County officials said Monday they expect to receive little to no vaccine shipments this week and ask the public to remain patient awaiting appointments to have a COVID-19 vaccination.

As of Monday, 5,457 people have received free COVID-19 vaccinations from Manatee County. With a new registration system, the standby pool awaiting vaccinations is 53,254. The Florida Department of Health Manatee has said the county has more than 100,000 residents 65 and over who are eligible for the standby pool, although being a Manatee County resident is not a requirement to receive a vaccination.

"We've been grateful to receive the doses we've received in Manatee County but at this time there's not enough supply of the vaccine to meet the extremely high number of people wanting to be vaccinated," Manatee County Administrator Cheri Coryea said in a release. "We'll continue to work with our state and federal officials to expedite the shipment of vaccines to Manatee County in order to minimize the wait." 

Because couples are included in the total of 53,254 on standby, the actual number of people awaiting vaccinations is more than 85,000. In the release, Coryea reminded those in the standby pool that they do not need to do anything more at this time.

"I hope people will continue to have patience as we await additional vaccine supplies to arrive," Coryea said in the release. "Everyone from the County Commission over to the Department of Health and our Public Safety team — they're all eager to get more vaccines. We'll be sure to announce the availability of new vaccines and we'll resume booking appointments whenever additional shipments arrive." 

Manatee County will continue to pre-register those 65 and older for the new standby pool. Seniors ages 65 and older can register for the waiting list online at vax.mymanatee.org anytime of day. According to the release, seniors may also book an appointment by calling 311 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Manatee County does not collect financial information, social security numbers or other sensitive personal information. The vaccines are free to the public. 

When more vaccine arrives, names will be selected by random out of the standby pool. Those selected will receive a call from the 941-742-4300 number. The county will make two attempts to call before moving to the next name.