FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla.— The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County (DOH-Okaloosa) is partnering with Okaloosa County Emergency Medical Services to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to anyone 16 years of age or older (Pfizer-BioNTech) or 18 years of age and older (Johnson & Johnson).

Any individual who is not at least 18 years of age by the day of their vaccination appointment must be accompanied by a parent/guardian to the vaccination clinic. Unaccompanied minors cannot be vaccinated and will be turned away from the vaccination clinic.

Appointments are still available for vaccination events on May 4 and May 6 both online and over the phone.

Registration for vaccination events May 10-14 will open at 7 a.m. on May 1 for online and telephone appointments. Appointments cannot be made through email or by walk-in at the health department. Appointments are strongly recommended but people may come to any event without an appointment.

To make an appointment visit https://OkaloosaCOVID19Vax.eventbrite.com to register online via Eventbrite or by calling 850-344-0566.

We encourage people to register online. Tickets are also available by phone until sold out. If Eventbrite is sold out, please call 850-344-0566. Eventbrite appointments usually fill up before the telephone appointments.

All individuals being vaccinated must show a valid picture ID. Minors can be identified by their parent/guardian, if they do not have a valid picture ID. This can include, but is not limited to, a passport, driver’s license, or military identification card. People are strongly encouraged to bring their registration confirmation number.

Florida residency requirements for vaccination will be verified at the vaccination event, if needed.

A second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is required 21 days after the first dose. Learn more about mRNA vaccines and how they work.

Individuals receiving the vaccine must complete a consent form. This is available on our website. For those that cannot access the forms in advance, a paper copy will be provided at your appointment time.  A consent form is required for each dose of the vaccine.

If you need to cancel an appointment, you can call 850-344-0566 or if you registered online you can cancel using Eventbrite. Each person receiving the vaccine must sign up for an individual appointment ticket. Tickets online may be "sold" before your sale is complete.  Completed orders display an order number and you will receive a confirmation email.

Once you’ve secured your appointment time, please arrive on-time. Individuals arriving early can cause delays and longer lines.

Individuals receiving the vaccine are asked to wear short-sleeve shirts and remove any jackets/coats when arriving.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises individuals to be monitored for at least 15 -30 minutes after receiving the vaccine. Individuals will be directed to a waiting area to park and should plan accordingly.  

Updates will be added to DOH-Okaloosa website, www.HealthyOkaloosa.com. Information about the statewide vaccination distribution plan can be found on the Department of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 webpage. 

Johnson & Johnson Notice

On April 23, a CDC panel recommended that the pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine be lifted. The panel also recommended a warning label be added to the vaccine packaging noting the very rare blood clotting disorder risk. Based on this recommendation, the FDA ended the pause. The decision to lift the pause on this vaccine is based on the experts’ determination that the benefits of administering the vaccine greatly outweigh the very small degree of risk associated with its use. In fact, the risk of blood clotting is much higher for people who have COVID-19 illness (165,000 people have clotting disorders per million COVID-19 cases).

The likelihood of the blood clotting disorder resulting from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is extremely rare. The risk varies by age and gender. There have been fewer than 1 case per million for men and women who are 50 years or older; the risk is estimated to be about 7 cases per million for women age 18-49. Additional education about this risk will be provided to women ages 18-49 who participate in this clinic so they can make an informed decision before consenting to the vaccine. 

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @HealthyFla. For more information about the Florida Department of Health, please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov .

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