FEMA sites now offering Pfizer or J&J photos

JACKSONVILLE, Florida – Starting Saturday morning, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available at Gateway Mall, Normandy Community Center and Hammond Senior Center in Jacksonville.

Each eligible person receiving a vaccine at one of the Federal Emergency Management Agency sites in Jacksonville will be offered a choice of vaccine.

• Gateway Mall – 5200 Norwood Avenue – 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Hammond Senior Center – 3312 West 12 St.

• Normandy Community Center – 1751 Lindsey Road

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The Duval County Alert System sent a message on Saturday morning, reminding people enrolled in its system that is now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.

People currently eligible to receive a vaccine at a FEMA site include:

• Residents and staff of long-term care facilities;

• People 65 years of age and over;

• Health personnel in direct contact with patients;

• All school staff and child care attendants;

• Medically extremely vulnerable people regardless of their age with a waiver signed by your doctor;

• Sworn law enforcement officers aged 50 and over; and

• Firefighters aged 50 and over.

After many changes to who is eligible for shooting, some said they believed more people would come out on Saturday, especially teachers – since these are the first weekend shots available to them, regardless of their age. age, in town.

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But there was no line on Saturday at the Gateway Mall.

“I think now is just the point of getting the message out to the community that they can come here and get the shot,” said Demita Gamble, who got the shot on Saturday.

FEMA said about 790 people were vaccinated at the Gateway Mall on Saturday. This represents a little more than a third of the 2,000 photos that he can administer daily on the site.

It was a rainy end to COVID-19 vaccinations for the first Saturday at the Gateway Town Center.

“I expected there would be a longer queue,” said a teacher from Duval County.

“I don’t think it’s advertised enough, and a lot of people really don’t know it’s happening,” said Roosevelt Gamble, who has been vaccinated.

There have been a lot of changes as to who can and cannot get the photo on this site. Some people have said that this may be part of the reason why there isn’t a lot of turnout right now.

“I think a lot of people are skeptical about this and are afraid of it,” said Maxine Frison, who received the vaccine on Saturday.

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The health ministry said that as of Friday, 137,499 people had completed their rounds of vaccines in Duval County. The series includes the two doses of Pfizer and Moderna and the single shot of Johnson and Johnson.

The Department of Health said 1,902,314 people in the state have completed the round of vaccines, meaning both photos of Pfizer and / or Moderna, and a single take of J&J. Among them, 1,413,491 people are 65 and over.

The Gateway Mall site is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Friday he plans to lower the age of eligibility from 65 to 60 or 55 and over, as more vaccines will be available later this month.