COVID Vaccine Update 

COVID Vaccine Update

Santa Rosa County Public Safety officials continue to work with the Santa Rosa County Department of Health and area healthcare providers including Ascension/Sacred Heart and Baptist Health Care to schedule residents 65 and older for COVID vaccines. 

Since Mon., Jan. 4, call takers including employees from other constitutional offices and volunteers, have received more than 10,000 phone calls for COVID vaccine appointments. With 30,000 residents over 65 in Santa Rosa County as well as calls from individuals outside the county, call volume has been extremely heavy. Appointments have been proactively scheduled through the end of January, contingent upon receipt of additional vaccines provided, as committed by the state.

More than 5000 vaccines have been administered in Santa Rosa County with 3000 since Wed., Jan. 6. Additionally, 2000 individuals are scheduled for vaccinations and more than 5000 are on the waitlist.

The waitlist is available for individuals 65 and over to complete (or have a caregiver complete on their behalf) and be assured that they will get an appointment as soon as more vaccines are received from the state and healthcare providers are able to schedule more clinics. An email address and a cell phone number is necessary to receive automatic notifications of appointments via the waitlist. If a citizen does not have a cell phone number or an email address, a neighbor, friend or caregiver’s contact information would be needed to receive notifications.

Individuals on the waitlist will be notified of an appointment by text, email and/or phone calls when vaccines become available.

As additional vaccination locations become available, every effort will be made to coordinate individuals on the waitlist to a vaccination location close to their residence. Staff is coordinating locations in Gulf Breeze and Navarre.

Second dose appointments will either be scheduled onsite, or you will be contacted with the details of your second appointment, depending on the provider of your initial dose.

Do not mail or FedEx your consent form. Bring any paperwork with you or it will be provided to you onsite.

Help officials help you. If you are on the waitlist and secure an appointment in another county, you are asked to cancel your appointment by emailing srcvaccines@santarosa.fl.gov. The vaccine cannot be administered to individuals who are positive for COVID 19 until 90 days after the infection. Individuals who test positive are asked to reschedule by emailing srcvaccines@santarosa.fl.gov. 

This vaccination administration is a very carefully scheduled process and as a safety measure, only individuals actively being vaccinated are allowed inside the facility.

Do not arrive any earlier than five minutes before your appointment. 

Arriving onsite earlier will not secure you an earlier vaccination.

Wait in your vehicle until your appointment time. You will not be able to wait inside the building.

Do not call to let staff know you have arrived, and do not come inside and ask to be texted when it is your appointment time.

Remember:

Individuals under age 65 will not be vaccinated at this time, per the state executive order.

Each individual must bring a valid form of identification showing date of birth (driver’s license, state-issued ID or passport).

Healthcare workers who provide direct patient care and are not associated with a hospital system must bring a valid form of identification as indicated above as well as a healthcare badge to prove eligibility.

Each individual wishing to receive a vaccination is required to register for an appointment. Individuals without an appointment will not be vaccinated. There are no walk-in appointments.

These are not drive-through sites. All individuals must be monitored for 15 minutes after receiving the vaccination.

If you have questions about whether or not you should receive the vaccine, contact your health care provider.

Santa Rosa County is receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine which is administered in two doses. You must receive your second dose 28 days after your appointment. You will be contacted with the details of your second dose appointment if it is not scheduled at your initial vaccination.

Testing is still being offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mon., Wed., and Fri. at Milton Community Center, 5629 Byrom St. in Milton and on Tues. and Thurs. at Tiger Point Community Center, 1370 Tiger Park Lane in Gulf Breeze. Pre-registration is no longer required.

More information on the COVID-19 vaccine is available at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.