By Susan K. Lamb Riverbend News
In less than one year since COVID-19 raised its ugly head around Christmas 2019 and started killing and making sick millions of Americans, two new COVID-19 vaccines have been miraculously developed in less than a year and released to vaccinate the public against this deadly virus. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are now available across the nation with Moderna having arrived last week at local Florida Department of Health (DOH) offices in Hamilton, Lafayette and Suwannee Counties.
The vaccines were right on time as COVID-19 cases in all three counties jumped to dangerous highs in December. All three health departments began administering the vaccine immediately upon receiving it last week.
Based upon Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' Executive Order, individuals who receive it first are persons 65 years of age or older and healthcare personnel with patient contact, according to Suwannee and Lafayette County Department of Health (DOH) Administrator Kerry Waldron. Waldron said Suwannee received 500 vials, Lafayette received 400, and he expects those to run out very quickly this week, but more vials are expected to be delivered locally. Each vial will serve 10 people. A second dose will be administered in about a month to each person receiving the initial vaccine.
If you fit the category currently being served please call the Suwannee County Department of Health at (386) 362-2704, the Lafayette County Department of Health at (386) 294-1321 or the Hamilton County Department of Health at (386) 792-1414 or you can also go to Hamilton.floridahealth.gov to sign up. If the line is busy, and it may well be, please try again until you reach someone and make an appointment to get the vaccine.
Hamilton and Columbia County Department of Health (DOH) Administrator Thomas Moffeses' office is providing the same vaccines, but you must call the Hamilton office at (386) 792-1414 to make an appointment.
All three offices are open from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Waldron suggests anyone in Suwannee or Lafayette Counties who would like to get the vaccine and who fits the category currently eligible for it must call the office closest to them and make an appointment and please keep that appointment. "Coordination is very important as once we open a vial, it's good for only six hours so we have to be sure we coordinate everything in advance," Waldon said. "With the phone calls we've been receiving, the vials we received will go really quickly and the state should be pushing another shipment to us."
Waldron said CVS and Walgreens have contracted with the government to go into nursing homes and long-term care facilities to vaccinate and is doing so locally. Rising Oaks Assistant Manager Brandy Corbin said Monday no one is being forced to take the vaccine but those who want it will begin getting theirs through CVS in a week or so. Advent Christian Village began vaccinations Monday and while attempts to contact other assisted living facilities failed, it can be assumed that all are in the process of receiving the vaccine.