JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As state health officials began administering second doses of the coronavirus vaccine to seniors at Regency Square Mall, long lines formed Wednesday morning that hasn’t been seen since the first day it opened.
But after the morning rush, the line was much shorter by noon.
On Wednesday, workers were aiming to double the number of vaccinations they typically do to 2,000 in order to accommodate both first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
The Regency Square Mall site so far has averaged more than 1,000 vaccines a day since opening in mid-January. In total, the Jacksonville site had administered 19,180 first doses as of Tuesday.
A line is forming at the state vaccination site in Jacksonville again. Last time it looked like this was the very first day it opened. Today workers are aiming to double the amount of vaccinations they typically do in order to accommodate second doses. @wjxt4 pic.twitter.com/gFvlVfHaIM
— Kelly Wiley (@KellyWileyNews) February 10, 2021
Mary and John Slattery traveled all the way from Flagler Beach after getting a call Saturday to schedule an appointment.
“A whole bunch of people came up from Palm Coast because Flagler was so discombobulated. It was such a mess. You couldn’t call and you couldn’t get anything,” Mary Slattery said.
Rich Banjo is one of many vaccinated on the first day Jacksonville’s state site opened 21 days ago, but still hasn’t heard from the state on a second appointment.
“I have been waiting for a call since last Thursday,” Banjo said. “Didn’t get the call I was waiting for so I said let’s try to go today.”
He was one of many who showed up without appointments to get their second dose.
Florida Association of Public Information Officers said Monday that the state began contacting people last week to schedule second dose appointments.
The association told News4Jax that you have up to six weeks to receive a second dose. The association said those who had not yet received a callback, should remain patient and do not arrive at a vaccination site before receiving a confirmed appointment.
Seniors are asked to bring their Centers for Disease Control and Prevention card and photo identification to their second dose appointment.
Anyone age 65 or older or a health care worker, can call 866-200-3762 to make an appointment to get a first dose of the vaccine at the Regency site.
The Regency site is still also Jacksonville’s only state-run vaccination site for first doses. The site continues to offer COVID-19 testing.