Seniors asked to call local health dept. for vaccine

Posted on February 12, 2021

Local residents ages 65 or older who want to register for the COVID-19 vaccine are asked to contact the local health department directly, rather than registering through the new statewide website.

“At the current time, Taylor County has not completed the online process and has not transitioned to utilizing this system for vaccine appointments. If you, or someone you know, registered under this system, please contact our office at (850) 584-5087,” Taylor Department of Health (DOH) Operations Manager Martine Young said.

Because vaccines are still limited, Taylor County is continuing to prioritize those 65 years of age and older, as well as health care personnel with direct patient contact.

“We are encouraging those that have not registered with our office and meet these parameters to contact us at (850) 584-5087 to be added to our in-house waiting list,” she said.

Currently, there are some 2,900 names on the waiting list – compared to the 3,900 people who were on the list as of Tuesday this week.

“On Tuesday, the waiting list had 3,900 people on it. But through calling and reaching out, we were able to clear about 1,000 of those individuals. In some cases they were from out of town, had forgotten they had registered with us and had gotten the vaccine elsewhere. We have also been able to clear names as we get them scheduled to receive vaccines here,” Young said.

The health department is holding a mass vaccination clinic today (Friday) at Forest Capital Hall, where 500 residents are scheduled to receive their first-round dose of the COVID vaccine.

Some 200 patients are scheduled to receive their second-round dose next week at the health department.

“After that, we will give all vaccinations during mass clinics at Forest Capital Hall,” Young said.

She also reminded residents that the health department is working with the county and city to utilize outside phone lines to assist with scheduling appointments.

“So, in addition to our main phone number, if you get a call from (850) 843-3448 or (850) 843-3611, we encourage community members to answer in order to schedule their appointments,” Young said.

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