More Groups Eligible For Vaccines In Pinellas Through Patient Portal

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Residents age 65 and over as well as eligible health care workers, law enforcement, firefighters and K-12 school staff can now sign up for vaccine appointments at www. PatientPortalFL .com

First and second dose appointments can be scheduled directly - no more invitations

Medically vulnerable can schedule at pharmacies or go to new federal site with doctor's certification. At this time, county sites are not vaccinating this group.

Many groups of Pinellas residents can now schedule vaccine appointments through the CDR Health Patient Portal, based on the latest executive order from Florida's Governor, including:

• Health care workers who have direct contact with the public. Examples are physicians, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, phlebotomists, nurses, home health providers, home medical equipment providers, therapists, dental office staff, pharmacists, and administrative/reception staff, among other health care professionals.
• K-12 school employees age 50 and older.
• Firefighters age 50 and older.
• Sworn law enforcement officers age 50 and older.

All these groups, and all residents 65 and older, can now sign up on the patient portal to schedule first and second dose appointments as available. The portal is no longer sending invitations as availability of vaccine appointments is increasing and all preregistered 65+ users have previously received at least one direct notification to schedule.

Individuals in these groups may sign up for appointments at www.PatientPortalFL.com or by phone at 844-770-8548. Those eligible are encouraged to check the portal regularly for new appointment availability.

Proof of eligibility is required and will be strictly enforced at the vaccination sites. The following documents will be accepted:

• Organizational identification card
• Medical license
• Paystub showing employment
• W-2 IRS form showing the employer
• An employment verification letter on official letterhead

Local pharmacies, including Publix, Wal-Mart and Sam's Club are also offering vaccines to all the groups eligible under the expanded criteria from Florida's Governor. Each pharmacy chain is offering their own appointment system. Check pharmacy websites for availability.

To date, more than 163,000 people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Pinellas County. In Pinellas, more than 50 percent of the senior population has received a vaccine.

Anyone with a "Covid-19 Determination of Extreme Vulnerability" form signed by their doctor may now schedule an appointment at Publix or other participating pharmacies. In addition, they may visit the federal vaccination site at the Tampa Greyhound Track, 755 E. Waters Ave., Tampa.

Link to the "COVID-19 Determination of Extreme Vulnerability" form:

http://ww11.doh.state.fl.us/co...

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.