OCALA, Fla.—The Florida Department of Health in Marion County is launching a new vaccine sign-up site for local residents. To pre-register for a COVID-19 vaccine by the Department of Health in Marion County, go to www.tinyurl.com/MarionCOVIDvax. Residents without online access can call 352-644-2590 for assistance in signing up.

“The new registration process should allow for quicker, more efficient appointment signups,” said Department of Health in Marion County Administrator Mark Lander. “Residents will also be able to manage and update their information as needed through the sign-up site.”

Residents will have the option to accept appointments via email, text or phone in the new registration system. People who are registered will receive notifications as appointments become available and have two hours to confirm or decline the appointment from the time that the notification is received. After two hours, the appointment announcement will expire, and those who were unable to reply or who were unable to be vaccinated at the date/time provided will be placed back in the queue for the next available appointment.

When residents receive a notification call about their registration, it will display as coming from the Department of Health in Marion County’s main phone number (352-629-0137). Email messages will be labeled as coming from Florida Department of Health in Marion County - Vaccine Distribution and will be sent by Everbridge; Everbridge is the appointment platform for the new registration site. Text messages regarding appointments will come from 88911. See the frequently asked questions on the new registration process for more information.

If residents registered previously for a vaccine through the myvaccine.fl.gov site, they do not need to re-register in the new system. Their information will be transferred over to the new registration system for follow-up.

Vaccine eligibility

Eligibility for COVID-19 vaccinations widened on March 22. The groups eligible for vaccination now include the below:

• Persons 50 years of age and older
• Long term care facility residents and staff
• Health care personnel with direct patient contact
• Individuals deemed extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 by a physician

If you qualify for vaccination under the “extremely vulnerable” category, your physician will need to complete the required form; you will then need to make an appointment and bring the physician-completed form with you to your appointment.

Additional vaccine opportunities

Eligible Marion County residents continue to have multiple locations where they may be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment. To register or check for appointment availability, visit:

• Department of Health in Marion County www.tinyurl.com/MarionCOVIDvax (residents without internet access can call 352-644-2590 for assistance)
• CVS www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine 1-800-746-7287
• Heart of Florida Health Center www.myhfhc.org/ 352-732-6599
• Publix www.publix.com/covid-vaccine
• Sam’s Club www.samsclub.com/covid
• Walgreen’s www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19
• Walmart www.walmart.com/COVIDvaccine
• Winn Dixie www.winndixie.com/pharmacy/covid-vaccine

Appointment availability may differ by location.

Find out more

Visit https://marion.floridahealth.gov, www.twitter.com/flhealthmarion, and www.marionflcovid.org for more information on COVID-19 and vaccinations.