JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There was a common theme among people lined up Thursday outside the Brentwood Library, which hosted a pop-up clinic to give out doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
“One shot,” Michael Samuel said.
“One shot,” echoed Dorris Harrold.
“One shot and done,” Luke Roy added.
At one point in the day, the line of people hoping to get the vaccine wrapped around the library. But residents told News4Jax they didn’t mind standing around waiting if they only had to get one shot.
The public library in Jacksonville’s Brentwood neighborhood hosted a one-day clinic offering 400 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was set to stay open until 7 p.m. or while supplies lasted.
Appointments weren’t required for the clinic, which was serving people age 40 and up, school workers, healthcare workers, long-term care facility residents and staff and the medically vulnerable population.
For some, it wasn’t just only having to get one shot that brought them out Thursday, it was the wave of relief that came with knowing that they’ve done what they can to protect themselves from a severe case of COVID-19.
“A little sense of security for sure,” Roy told News4Jax.
Currently, Floridians age 40 and older are eligible to receive the vaccine. But starting on Monday, the state will open vaccinations to all adults, plus those 16 years and older who want to get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Also next week, the state is set to receive an additional 300,000 doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, plus 500,000 more of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which require two doses.
For those who want to get the vaccine before Monday, federal- and state-supported vaccine sites will be open over the holiday weekend. State-run testing sites are closed Sunday but reopen Monday.