Coronavirus Vaccine Appointments Available For More Pinellas County Seniors

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — To date, all those eligible to get the vaccine among around 147,000 registered in the portal have been contacted to make appointments; more than 146,000 have received at least the first dose of the vaccine in Pinellas through public vaccine sites, hospitals, pharmacies and state missions to long-term care facilities, churches and other community groups.

Residents 65 and older should create an online account or ask a friend or family member to help them sign up at www. PatientPortalFL. com to be contacted when appointments are available. As of today, every Pinellas senior signed up in the Patient Portal has been contacted to make an appointment, but more availability is opening each week.

Signing up online is the best way to pre-register, but residents can also create an account by calling 844-770-8548.

Residents 65 and older can sign up at www.PatientPortalFL.com and they will be contacted to schedule appointments as early as next week.

As vaccine supply is available, seniors who created an account in the portal will be invited by text message or email to schedule appointments for first and second doses. Those who do not have a mobile number or email address should ask a friend or family member to sign up on their behalf with their contact information; if this is not possible, leave whatever contact information you have and you will be contacted.

Appointment invites are sent based on the order of sign-ups in the portal.

Local pharmacies, including Publix, Walmart and Sam's Club are also offering vaccines to Pinellas seniors. Each pharmacy chain is offering their own appointment system. Check pharmacy websites for availability.

The Florida Department of Health in Pinellas is working directly with the specific groups age 50 and older who were identified by the Governor as eligible for the vaccine starting Wednesday, March 3.

Newly eligible individuals should work directly with their agencies/employer for updates as to when vaccination events will take place.

DOH-Pinellas is currently awaiting state guidance on vaccine rollout for the medically vulnerable.

The latest information about vaccine availability in Pinellas County can be found at https:// covid19.pinellascounty.org/vaccines.

This press release was produced by the Pinellas County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.