JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The pop-up vaccination site that the Florida Division of Emergency Management opened Tuesday at the Dallas Graham Library on Myrtle Avenue administered the 250 doses allocated before noon and closed for the day, the city of Jacksonville announced.
People were in line when the site opened at 10 a.m. to offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine without appointments.
Many in line told News4Jax they specifically wanted the J&J vaccine, which is a single shot and does not require a second dose.
“If I can just get one shot I can be done with it, instead of rescheduling and rescheduling,” Don Johnson said.
Just before noon, the city tweeted that the site reached its capacity, so it would be closing early, although people remained in line at noon still hoping to still get a shot.
News4Jax was told similar pop-up clinics offering the J&J vaccine will be held in Jacksonville in the next two days:
Wednesday
- University Park Library, 3435 University Blvd. N. - 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Henry L. Brown Kooker Park, 1400 E. 20th St. - 8 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Thursday
- Destination Church, 88 Arlington Road N. - 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Brentwood Library, 3725 Pearl St. - 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
WHEN? WHERE? HOW? Getting vaccinated in Northeast Florida
Attention 📢 The @FLSERT one-day Johnson & Johnson vaccine event at the Dallas Graham Library has reached its capacity of 250 doses administered and is now closed.
— City of Jacksonville (COJ) (@CityofJax) March 30, 2021
Thank you to everyone who braved the rain and got their vaccine as well as the healthcare professionals on site. pic.twitter.com/dWOY1SBtkp
On Monday, Florida’s age eligibility requirement for getting the COVID-19 vaccine dropped to 40 and older. With the drop, the state-run vaccination sites across Duval County administered close to 4,000 out of 6,900 available vaccine doses on Monday. That does not include the numbers at retail pharmacies and hospitals.
Also on Monday, the state increased the number of doses available at the Federal Emergency Management Agency site in Jacksonville, bumping it up to 3,000 first-dose shots. The state also said the federally-supported site at Gateway Mall will remain open until late May.
Next week, the sites will open to people age 16 and older, with 16- and 17-year-olds only able to get the Pfizer vaccine.
Dr. Sunil Joshi, president of the Duval County Medical Society Foundation, said that with shots available in more places, there shouldn’t be a concern about lower turnout at mass vaccination sites.
“We just need to keep watching those numbers overall for our community to go up,” Joshi said. “And to be a 31% right now, yeah, we like to be higher than that. But when you consider that not every adult has been eligible to be vaccinated, I think we’re getting there.”