We are pleased to announce that the Town closed Point of Dispensing (POD) has been approved by the State. Fire Chief Trevor Steedman and his team did a great job of putting this together and getting the final approval. Several times he had to wait on the phone for more than an hour to talk with State officials.
During the application and waiting phase, the Fire Department created a mockup of the POD site at the Community Center and has been conducting simulations to learn and streamline the inoculation process. They are now fully trained and ready to administer the vaccination shots.
1,000 doses of the vaccine have been ordered from the State. This number is based on the approved storage capacity of our POD. It remains to be seen how much of this original order will be received. This is supply availability dependent. The number could range from 10 to the complete 1,000 doses. Once we receive shipping confirmation from the State, we will open our online/web-based appointment system on the Town’s webpage. We will also be utilizing the Code Red Alert (Reverse-9-1-1) system as well as the Town email and the various civic groups' communications platforms to ensure that those without computers or email access do not get left behind. Please keep in mind that the availability of vaccination appointments will be dependent on the number of doses received. Additional appointment slots will be available as additional doses are received. Ensuring this process runs smoothly is going to require a certain amount of flexibility and a good communications capability. Again, we will use the Town email list, the Civic organizations’ list, and reverse 911 to announce new scheduling opportunities.
The first vaccination will be for those 65 + years. After the first dose is administered each person given a shot will be given an appointment for the second shot. This will happen as part of the vaccination process. Be sure that you receive your second shot appointment before you leave the facility! As additional vaccine becomes available, the POD will be open to more age groups in accordance with the Governor's orders.
This will be a community team effort. We will be using volunteers from the various Civic groups to help fill certain logistics requirements. We are set up to handle 10 vaccinations an hour and 80 per day. Parking spaces will be designated in the beach parking lots and volunteers will be on hand to guide you through the process. A volunteer will be checking folks in and a PBSO Deputy will be on hand to help with the process and ensure the parking slots are available.
The shot will be for TOWN RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS only! Visitors will not be eligible to receive shots. So, A FORM OF IDENTIFICATION AND PROOF OF AGE AND OWNERSHIP OR RESIDENCY WILL BE REQUIRED.
We are grateful for being able to provide our residents and property owner this service. As soon as the vaccine is shipped it will be an all-hands-on-deck exercise. So, watch for the notifications. Thank you all for your support and patience as we go through this process.
If you have any questions please call or email Chief Steedman: tsteedman@pbsfire.org or (561) 296-3380.
