Panama City, Fla.— The Florida Department of Health in Bay County (DOH-Bay), in partnership with the Florida Department of Health, Florida Division of Emergency Management, Bay County Emergency Management, Emerald Coast Medical Association, Panama City Surgery Center, and Nations Best Community Health Care are providing COVID-19 vaccination sites. In an effort to keep Florida residents and visitors safe and aware regarding the status of the virus, DOH-Bay will continue to issue this update every week.

County health departments have an important role to play in administering vaccine. Here’s a summary of some of our top efforts January 11 - 17.

• Provided 1,879 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to seniors 65 and older, healthcare providers, and first responders.
• Held a mass vaccination Point of Distribution at the Callaway Arts and Conference Center where 791 persons received their first dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
• Finalized memorandums of agreement with two healthcare providers and provided them with 150 vaccines for front-line healthcare workers who are not associated with hospitals.
• Transferred 500 vaccines to the Florida Division of Emergency Management for a vaccination event at the Lynn Haven Senior Center through partnership with faith-based organizations. Read more here.

The Florida Department of Health in Bay County continues to fight to protect health and safety as the rollout of COVID-19 vaccine continues. This week DOH-Bay will provide at least 1,500 vaccines to our community. The total number of Bay County residents vaccinated is 7,892 with 60 persons completing the series. The State COVID-19 Vaccine Summary is available here.

COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments

Publix is now offering COVID-19 vaccination at all five Bay County locations. To make an appointment, visit https://www.publix.com/covid-vaccine. To learn more click here.

To learn about available COVID-19 vaccine appointments with DOH-Bay, text bayhealth to 888777 or visit bit.ly/bayhealthalert.

The Florida Department of Health has created a vaccine locator site at https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/vaccines/vaccine-locator/. The vaccine is available to all persons who meet the authorization criteria. You can receive the vaccine in any county; you are not limited to your home county.

People who are not in this priority population for vaccination are asked to assist family members, friends or neighbors who may need help with online registration. Please reserve DOH-Bay’s phone lines for seniors who have limited digital literacy.

Please remember there are tens of thousands of people in Bay County alone trying to register at this time for a limited number of vaccines. This is a historic mass vaccination effort and it is going to take some time to vaccinate everyone who wants to be vaccinated. Your patience and understanding are essential and appreciated.

Second dose appointments for persons who received their first dose with DOH-Bay will be scheduled by phone close to the due date of your dose. If you are not contacted by the due date on your card provided at your appointment, please call (850) 872-4455. Starting this week appointments for second doses with DOH-Bay will be scheduled at the time the first dose is administered.

COVID-19 Data

The percent positivity for new cases in Bay County residents is at 19.64 percent for the week beginning with January 9. DOH-Bay received confirmation of 777 additional cases of COVID-19 in Bay County residents for the past 7 days and a total of 1,691 cases for the past 14 days. Bay County’s total positive residents case count is at 13,664.

There have been 255 COVID-19 related deaths (2% of all cases) of Bay County residents. Twenty-eight deaths were confirmed in the past week.

As posted on the Agency for Health Care Administration dashboard, there are 83 persons in Bay County hospitals with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19. The total number of Bay County Residents who have been hospitalized at some point during their illness is 601 (4% of all cases).

The COVID-19 daily reports continue to be updated daily and the Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Dashboard also continues to be updated daily. Please find all daily reports here. 

COVID-19 Testing

To reach maximum capacity for COVID-19 vaccination, DOH-Bay is temporarily suspending testing for COVID-19. If you need a COVID-19 test, please check with your healthcare provider first. Please visit Bay.FloridaHealth.gov for testing options or see the information below on testing provided by Bay County.

Bay County Testing
Lynn Haven Sports Park, 2201 Recreation Drive

Panama City Sports Park, 50 Chip Seal Parkway
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Criteria: Testing is available to adults over 18 and children ages 5 and up who are accompanied by an adult.
Cost: Free

Test Type: Antigen (rapid in 20 minutes) and PCR
Appointment required. To make an appointment, visit BayHealthCOVID19.org.

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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.