Manatee County announces pre-registration process for vaccine distribution

Manatee County commissioners approved changes to COVID-19 vaccination registration for those age 65 and up Wednesday in an effort to make the process easier.

The addition of a pre-registration process is available online and over the phone. Previously, citizens had to log on to a county website at a specific time to register for an appointment to receive the vaccine. Many who were online to register have failed to gain appointments because the demand is larger than the available slots.

“We’ve gotten an awful lot of unhappy citizens where they’ve tried over and over again to make a reservation, and it’s very frustrating for them,” commissioner Vanessa Baugh said.

Starting at 10 p.m. Thursday, people age 65 and up can join a standby pool by filling out an online form that can be found at www.mymanatee.org/vaccine. Starting Friday, the county’s 311 call center will also accept pre-registration via phone calls each weekday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The call center will also use more operators to more efficiently answer calls.

Whenever the county receives a new shipment of vaccines, names will be randomly selected from the pool for vaccination. On the day of the appointment, seniors should bring with them an email receipt or unique number they receive from the 311 Call Center, a Department of Health consent form and a valid ID that displays age.