Florida launches statewide COVID-19 vaccine pre-registration website

TAMPA, Fla. - The Sunshine State is offering another way for residents to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine.

State officials on Friday announced the launch of an online pre-registration system for the COVID-19 vaccine, which can be found at myvaccine.fl.gov. They said those who sign-up will be "proactively contacted" when appointments are available at state-supported vaccination sites. 

"COVID-19 vaccines continue to arrive in Florida in extremely limited supply," the site reads. "As we await additional vaccine supply from the Federal Government, we urge currently eligible Florida residents to save their place in line by pre-registering today." 

You can also register by phone. Each county has a different number; a list of those phone numbers can be found here.

Screenshot of myvaccine.fl.gov website

The MyVaccine site then states that only people age 65 and older are eligible, along with long-term care facility residents and staff, healthcare personnel with direct patient contact, and individuals deemed extremely vulnerable to COVID-19.

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If you meet any of these criteria and have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine (first or second dose), you are asked to select your preferred county so that you can get in line. From there, you'll be taken through the registration process. 

For those who are not currently eligible, the site says you can sign up now to receive email updates to learn when you will qualify to receive the vaccine. You can submit your contact information to get additional details and updates regarding the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida and to be notified when new appointments are available in your area, according to the website. 

The state-run system cautions users that COVID-19 vaccines continue to arrive in Florida in extremely limited supply. 

"Each week, the Federal Government authorizes states to order a maximum number of vaccines. Putting seniors and healthcare personnel first, Florida orders the maximum number of vaccines available to our state. Upon receiving the vaccines from the Federal Government, counties coordinate the vaccination process for their residents." 

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Here’s how the process works, according to MyVaccine Florida:

First, the federal government sets weekly vaccine allocation for each state. This is the amount of vaccine that may be ordered by each state and the weekly vaccine allocation includes both first and second doses. 

As soon as Florida health officials know what is available, they order the maximum available doses of the vaccine. From there, the federal government ships the ordered vaccines to providers throughout Florida. 

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Finally, the vaccines go into arms as local providers coordinate vaccinations for their communities. 

At the bottom of the page, the site says that is being offered "as an opt-in system open to all Florida’s 67 counties."

If you have additional questions for sites in your area, users are directed to call their local county health departments.