GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. – People age 65 and older or front-line health care workers who had one of 200 appointments to get the COVID-19 vaccine began getting their shots on Monday in Clay County.
The process appeared to be running smoothly, unlike in other nearby counties where there were long lines and people waiting unsuccessfully to get the vaccine.
“No problem at all. Everyone is helpful and no back up. They have everything organized. It’s very good,” said Katie O’Brian, who received the vaccine. “To me, it’s great. I’ve been housebound so now I will wear my mask and I will be more apt to get out.”
Connie and Dave Horton traveled from Lake Asbury and were relieved the process went smoothly. They said they just filled out their paperwork and saw minimal lines
“Filled out the paperwork, got our shots and that was it. It was fine,” Connie Horton said. “They even set up the second appointment for us.”
“It went real smooth,” Dave Horton said. “I never even felt the little girl give me the shot when she gave me the shot. I’ve heard people say, ‘Oh, this thing hurts.’ It don’t hurt.”
There were 220 total vaccinations on Monday. Most of those who were vaccinated Monday were seniors, but there were also some emergency responders. The goal is to continue about 200 vaccinations a day until the county’s 3,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine runs out around Jan. 20.
All appointments for the county’s first allocation the vaccine are taken for January, county officials said.
Clay County Emergency Management Director John Ward said Monday morning that the new shipment could arrive later this week. He said that shipment will be for people who already got their first dose of the vaccine to get their second shot and then the county will eventually start taking appointments for more people to get their first dose.
“As we get additional vaccines each week, we will add additional days based on the number of doses that we have,” Clay County Department of Health Administrator Heather Huffman said. ”So continue to check back at alert claycountygov.com, and we will also be using our social media feeds in order to provide that information out.”
Ward outlined the vaccination procedures that will be followed:
- Only those 65 years of age or older and front-line health care workers with confirmed vaccination appointments will be allowed to park and wait at UF/IFAS Extension Clay County T. Jesse Godbold Building at 2463 State Road 16, just outside the Clay County Fairgrounds. Appointments are not limited to Clay County residents.
- There will be no walk-ups taken. If you do not have an appointment, you will be turned away.
- People are strongly advised to come at their appointment date and time only. Ward explained that the county is asking people to show up about 15 minutes before their appointment -- not an hour or two hours beforehand.
- You must present a valid ID that shows you are 65 or older. Health care workers must bring their employee badge.
Clay County Emergency Management said it will be working closely with law enforcement to make sure the process runs smoothly. Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook said the Sheriff’s Office has set up message boards and will have traffic deputies along State Road 16 and at the distribution site.
Vaccination appointments continue from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. There’s a lot of important information that people need to know before the appointments begin.
First, after you get a shot, you will have to go on the county website and schedule a second shot yourself. Those people will be given priority to get an appointment once the next shipment of doses arrives in the county.
The county website to sign up is alert.claycountygov.com, but at this point, the website does not have the option to schedule a second round. That option is expected to be operational Tuesday or Wednesday. When it is, residents who received their first dose will have to log onto the site and select to get a second dose. The county will give you a card that shows which shot you received and you have to make sure you’re getting the same brand of shot for the second round.
If you leave the county and are out of town, you can qualify in another county to get your second vaccine, but you need to make sure it’s by the same manufacturer.
The second round of the shot needs to be administered roughly three to four weeks after the first shot. It varies depending on the manufacturer.
People who are given their first shot at the Godbold Building will be given information on when they need to get their second shot.
The county will start administering the second doses on Jan. 25, when it plans to increase capacity from 200 doses a day to 400 hundred a day.
RELATED: COVID-19 vaccine in Northeast Florida: What we know by county
According to Clay County, all appointments to receive its initial allotment of 3,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine have been filled and there are no additional appointments at this time. Clay County said that as soon as the state provides an update on additional allotments, the county will open for additional appointments.
With 200 doses a day, the county expects to administer 1,000 doses a week.
“The good thing is that we do know that there will be other access points that will probably come online in the next few weeks. Those will be your retail pharmacy partners such as your CVS, Walgreens, your Publix, Walmart, all of those places that you would normally get your flu shot, those will come online, along with all of your health care providers that have signed up to be a COVID-19 vaccine provider,” Huffman said.
Last week, Clay County ran a “soft opening” and administered the vaccine to EMS workers, as well as a few dozen seniors from independent living facilities in the county.
