Covid vaccine 3-10-21

[Laker14]

I decided to get 'er done. I am over 65. So, Monday morning at 7AM I got on the Publix website, as instructed in their online directions. 45 minutes later I still didn't have an appointment.
I mentioned this during pickleball later Monday AM and someone said "just get on the county (Sumter) site", so later that day I did just that.
Easy peezy. This was Monday afternoon, March 8. I could have made an appointment at the St. Vincent Depaul church on Rt. 462 for Tuesday, March 9, but I was busy that day, so I made the appointment for today, at 4PM.

Easy in, easy out, never got out of the car. Could not have been easier.
So, if you want to get your VAX, but think it will be too big of a hassle, get on the Sumter Co. site.
Get 'er done.

[coffeebean]

I decided to get 'er done. I am over 65. So, Monday morning at 7AM I got on the Publix website, as instructed in their online directions. 45 minutes later I still didn't have an appointment.
I mentioned this during pickleball later Monday AM and someone said "just get on the county (Sumter) site", so later that day I did just that.
Easy peezy. This was Monday afternoon, March 8. I could have made an appointment at the St. Vincent Depaul church on Rt. 462 for Tuesday, March 9, but I was busy that day, so I made the appointment for today, at 4PM.

Easy in, easy out, never got out of the car. Could not have been easier.
So, if you want to get your VAX, but think it will be too big of a hassle, get on the Sumter Co. site.
Get 'er done.

What is the website? Is is the saferestart site? Thanks.

[Laker14]

What is the website? Is is the saferestart site? Thanks.

Yes. Here is the link.

Safe Restart (https://sumterfl.saferestart.net)

[SGR720]

I decided to get 'er done. I am over 65. So, Monday morning at 7AM I got on the Publix website, as instructed in their online directions. 45 minutes later I still didn't have an appointment.
I mentioned this during pickleball later Monday AM and someone said "just get on the county (Sumter) site", so later that day I did just that.
Easy peezy. This was Monday afternoon, March 8. I could have made an appointment at the St. Vincent Depaul church on Rt. 462 for Tuesday, March 9, but I was busy that day, so I made the appointment for today, at 4PM.

Easy in, easy out, never got out of the car. Could not have been easier.
So, if you want to get your VAX, but think it will be too big of a hassle, get on the Sumter Co. site.
Get 'er done.

If you've been following any of the vaccine threads here you'll see you are lucky that you got an appointment so quickly but please don't brag about how easy it was. People were in line for hours on Monday and Tuesday due to re-location of site from Sumterville to Wildwood. Many did not get any notification of relocation and went to Sumterville then had to travel back to Wildwood.

If you went to the GMR site at the church you still have to get your second shot in a month and that's when the issues could start. My first shot was easy although I was on the waiting list for a month before I was scheduled and the site for the first shot was changed the day before I was scheduled from Buffalo Ridge to Sumterville. I was not notified of the change by GMR. A friend told me they had been re-located so I checked out the original site early and found it was not active. Went to new site and was in and out in 35 minutes that included 30 minute after shot monitoring.

My second shot was to be at Sumterville next Thursday at 5:30 but now Sumterville is being used for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the GMR Moderna site is at the church in Wildwood and is only open 9 to 5. Today's paper says the church site will be doing shots today and tomorrow but nothing about next week. I won't know until possibly Monday if the site is still in Wildwood. I'm hoping that GMR will actually let me know but so far their communication has not been good.

Be prepared make sure you keep your original confirmation bar code this seems to be
one requirement for getting your second shot and keep checking the newspaper for info on where the GMR site is as there is no guarantee that it will still be in Wildwood.

[billethkid]

GMR has been consistently inconsistent in their communications with those who have appointments that are affected for any reason.

I am sure out of the total number of appointments the larger percentage is satisfactory.

We have had an unfortunate run of "luck" with them.

Waited on their list for over a month before being contacted for an appointment.

First shot appointment screwed up when our appointment date was rained out and the location shifted to the high school (same day)....torturous 5.5 hour long stop and go around school property.

Now, once again our 2nd appointment was at the community college on Saturday which has been changed to St. Vincent DePaul .....Monday through Friday (No Saturday!!!!!!!).
No communication to those affected for over a week.

The concerning part of their decision making process is they most certainly know that shifting to M-F and skipping Saturday there be a significant number of appointments affected. Yet they proceeded without any comment.

The GMR contact procedure at best has been useless.

And now in this morning's paper they list that they will be at St. Vincent DePaul today and Friday! Stay tuned till Monday to find out where the M-F appointments for next week will be.

GMR operations at the site are well rum.
Their communications are the worst. There is no way they do not know the chaos they create.

As one of the minority that has been affected we will be glad when we can put GMR in our rear view mirror.

[graciegirl]

If you've been following any of the vaccine threads here you'll see you are lucky that you got an appointment so quickly but please don't brag about how easy it was. People were in line for hours on Monday and Tuesday due to re-location of site from Sumterville to Wildwood. Many did not get any notification of relocation and went to Sumterville then had to travel back to Wildwood.

If you went to the GMR site at the church you still have to get your second shot in a month and that's when the issues could start. My first shot was easy although I was on the waiting list for a month before I was scheduled and the site for the first shot was changed the day before I was scheduled from Buffalo Ridge to Sumterville. I was not notified of the change by GMR. A friend told me they had been re-located so I checked out the original site early and found it was not active. Went to new site and was in and out in 35 minutes that included 30 minute after shot monitoring.

My second shot was to be at Sumterville next Thursday at 5:30 but now Sumterville is being used for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the GMR Moderna site is at the church in Wildwood and is only open 9 to 5. Today's paper says the church site will be doing shots today and tomorrow but nothing about next week. I won't know until possibly Monday if the site is still in Wildwood. I'm hoping that GMR will actually let me know but so far their communication has not been good.

Be prepared make sure you keep your original confirmation bar code this seems to be
one requirement for getting your second shot and keep checking the newspaper for info on where the GMR site is as there is no guarantee that it will still be in Wildwood.

It still is easy-peasy if you ask me. With Saferestart, which you used, the second shot appointment was valid and we showed up and they jabbed. Moving the sight around is a little tricky, but there are perks from the sites powered by the Government, Fema, such at Valencia College, that we took our handicapped 56 year old daughter to last week, and there are perks to having the site run by private companies, such as Saferestart. There are downsides to both.

I like to keep my eye on the prize which is that the world of science worked together to bring us protection against a deadly to older people virus.

[Laker14]

If you've been following any of the vaccine threads here you'll see you are lucky that you got an appointment so quickly but please don't brag about how easy it was. People were in line for hours on Monday and Tuesday due to re-location of site from Sumterville to Wildwood. Many did not get any notification of relocation and went to Sumterville then had to travel back to Wildwood.

If you went to the GMR site at the church you still have to get your second shot in a month and that's when the issues could start. My first shot was easy although I was on the waiting list for a month before I was scheduled and the site for the first shot was changed the day before I was scheduled from Buffalo Ridge to Sumterville. I was not notified of the change by GMR. A friend told me they had been re-located so I checked out the original site early and found it was not active. Went to new site and was in and out in 35 minutes that included 30 minute after shot monitoring.

My second shot was to be at Sumterville next Thursday at 5:30 but now Sumterville is being used for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the GMR Moderna site is at the church in Wildwood and is only open 9 to 5. Today's paper says the church site will be doing shots today and tomorrow but nothing about next week. I won't know until possibly Monday if the site is still in Wildwood. I'm hoping that GMR will actually let me know but so far their communication has not been good.

Be prepared make sure you keep your original confirmation bar code this seems to be
one requirement for getting your second shot and keep checking the newspaper for info on where the GMR site is as there is no guarantee that it will still be in Wildwood.

Thank you for the intel. I don't remember anyone telling me to keep the barcode (although they may well have and I wasn't being as mindful as I should have been) but fortunately DW was with me and she suggested I keep the barcode in the car for the next visit.
It wasn't my intention to "brag" about my good fortune. I didn't realize that I was just lucky to have such a low hassle experience. I was chalking it up to greater access being available as the process has evolved, and hoping to encourage anyone who wants to get the vaccine, but has been deterred by the stories of how difficult it has been.
Hopefully I'll be able to get DW taken care of, just as easily, as she is in the new age group, between 60 and 65, who can now get the vaccine.

[Laker14]

Also, I meant to mention that while the word is that starting next Monday, age 60 becomes the point at which one may receive the vaccine, at this time the safe restart link I posted is not handling reservations for anyone under 65, even for next week. My guess is that the website was not quite ready for the change in policy, and can't handle it just yet. Hopefully by Monday they'll have the ability to schedule those 60 -64 years of age.

[SGR720]

Thank you for the intel. I don't remember anyone telling me to keep the barcode (although they may well have and I wasn't being as mindful as I should have been) but fortunately DW was with me and she suggested I keep the barcode in the car for the next visit.
It wasn't my intention to "brag" about my good fortune. I didn't realize that I was just lucky to have such a low hassle experience. I was chalking it up to greater access being available as the process has evolved, and hoping to encourage anyone who wants to get the vaccine, but has been deterred by the stories of how difficult it has been.
Hopefully I'll be able to get DW taken care of, just as easily, as she is in the new age group, between 60 and 65, who can now get the vaccine.

Sorry about the "brag" reference, you were just the latest to mention how easy the process was. I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you. GMR did not say to keep the barcode. However, people I spoke to who got their shots in January said they did not receive a reminder of their second appointment but used the barcode from their first appointment. And the first thing GMR asked for was the barcode so I decided better safe than sorry and just put it in my wallet with my vaccine card. Again sorry about the brag comment and hope DW is able to get hers soon.

[Laker14]

Sorry about the "brag" reference, you were just the latest to mention how easy the process was. I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you. GMR did not say to keep the barcode. However, people I spoke to who got their shots in January said they did not receive a reminder of their second appointment but used the barcode from their first appointment. And the first thing GMR asked for was the barcode so I decided better safe than sorry and just put it in my wallet with my vaccine card. Again sorry about the brag comment and hope DW is able to get hers soon.

no worries.:coolsmiley:

[Altavia]

I like to keep my eye on the prize which is that the world of science worked together to bring us protection against a deadly to older people virus.

So true.

At the end of the day, how many people a year ago thought there would be any chance of having a vaccine in mass distribution a year later?

[charmed59]

Also, I meant to mention that while the word is that starting next Monday, age 60 becomes the point at which one may receive the vaccine, at this time the safe restart link I posted is not handling reservations for anyone under 65, even for next week. My guess is that the website was not quite ready for the change in policy, and can't handle it just yet. Hopefully by Monday they'll have the ability to schedule those 60 -64 years of age.

If you signed up on my vaccine.fl.gov check your emails. They are starting to schedule the 60 and overs.

[John_W]

...

[Laker14]

I signed up with those sites, and Lake County and the state and never heard anything. I tried four mornings at 6am with Publix, but finally did get in on the fifth morning and made appointments for both my wife and me. We both received our second shot this week, so were done. However, I get the state and county calling my phone now 2 or 3 times a day telling me, they can take me now.

I think the experience you describe, and the experience I describe is a measure of what I referred to in a previous post as the "evolution of the process". They have more vaccine available, and are a month or two farther down the road of having figured out the logistics of delivery.
This won't be the last pandemic. Hopefully these lessons learned will not be forgotten when the next one arrives.

[Girlcopper]

Thank you for the intel. I don't remember anyone telling me to keep the barcode (although they may well have and I wasn't being as mindful as I should have been) but fortunately DW was with me and she suggested I keep the barcode in the car for the next visit.
It wasn't my intention to "brag" about my good fortune. I didn't realize that I was just lucky to have such a low hassle experience. I was chalking it up to greater access being available as the process has evolved, and hoping to encourage anyone who wants to get the vaccine, but has been deterred by the stories of how difficult it has been.
Hopefully I'll be able to get DW taken care of, just as easily, as she is in the new age group, between 60 and 65, who can now get the vaccine.

Some have it easy and some struggle. I signed my 90 yr old mom up on the Publix site within 15 minutes at the Mulberry Plaza Publix. Her appt was 2 days later, she artived and was the only one there. No line, no nothing. She sat for 15 minutes after the shot and was on her way. Second shot, same place, same scenario AND no reaction at all from either shot. Easy peasy. Guess she was just lucky

[bp243]

It still is easy-peasy if you ask me. With Saferestart, which you used, the second shot appointment was valid and we showed up and they jabbed. Moving the sight around is a little tricky, but there are perks from the sites powered by the Government, Fema, such at Valencia College, that we took our handicapped 56 year old daughter to last week, and there are perks to having the site run by private companies, such as Saferestart. There are downsides to both.

I like to keep my eye on the prize which is that the world of science worked together to bring us protection against a deadly to older people virus.

Thanks for the reminder that science is working in a world where trust is sometimes questioned. We need to believe that the altruistic outlook will benefit all of mankind, so please get vaccinated to help us return to a more open life in this wonderful country.

[Raton270]

We drove to Orlando and was through a long line in less than 20 minutes. There is always things to do in Orlando.

[Suzieque]

We called Lake County at 352-464-9065 shortly after 9:00 and got to schedule our first dose immediately. We had to go to the old Sears store in Leesburg but everything went smoothly. There was a line outside but they called all people for the 9:00 dose to come forward and took them first. We went inside and kept moving through the different stations. Very well run. My appointment for my second dose was at 10:30 and my husband's was for 11:30. We arrived shortly after 10:00. There was no line outside. We went in and the workers were just sitting waiting for people. We were out by 10:30.

[arickis]

My wife and I got both our Moderna vaccines in January. I monitored the Lake county Health Dept website and followed their intructions, got our appointments, and by Jan 27, we had both vaccinations. Easy peezy!

[rmd2]

I got an e-mail last night from GMR saferestart and they said St. Vincent D'Paul church location will be permanent which is really nice for anyone in The Villages area.

If you've been following any of the vaccine threads here you'll see you are lucky that you got an appointment so quickly but please don't brag about how easy it was. People were in line for hours on Monday and Tuesday due to re-location of site from Sumterville to Wildwood. Many did not get any notification of relocation and went to Sumterville then had to travel back to Wildwood.

If you went to the GMR site at the church you still have to get your second shot in a month and that's when the issues could start. My first shot was easy although I was on the waiting list for a month before I was scheduled and the site for the first shot was changed the day before I was scheduled from Buffalo Ridge to Sumterville. I was not notified of the change by GMR. A friend told me they had been re-located so I checked out the original site early and found it was not active. Went to new site and was in and out in 35 minutes that included 30 minute after shot monitoring.

My second shot was to be at Sumterville next Thursday at 5:30 but now Sumterville is being used for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the GMR Moderna site is at the church in Wildwood and is only open 9 to 5. Today's paper says the church site will be doing shots today and tomorrow but nothing about next week. I won't know until possibly Monday if the site is still in Wildwood. I'm hoping that GMR will actually let me know but so far their communication has not been good.

Be prepared make sure you keep your original confirmation bar code this seems to be
one requirement for getting your second shot and keep checking the newspaper for info on where the GMR site is as there is no guarantee that it will still be in Wildwood.

[rmd2]

Some have it easy and some struggle. I signed my 90 yr old mom up on the Publix site within 15 minutes at the Mulberry Plaza Publix. Her appt was 2 days later, she artived and was the only one there. No line, no nothing. She sat for 15 minutes after the shot and was on her way. Second shot, same place, same scenario AND no reaction at all from either shot. Easy peasy. Guess she was just lucky

Oh yes she was very lucky because thousands of us in Florida sat at our computers at 7am with our fingers on the button ready to try to make an appointment which after an hour or two were never able to make an appointment. We also registered with the County. Some went to Counties that were a long distance from here. This went on for many weeks. Apparently it is not hard to get an appointment now with Publix, GMR or the County Health Dept but believe me initially it was VERY difficult to get the appointment.

[rphil11ort]

From the sumter site it took a while but they got me signed up for the johnson and Johnson shot. Got it wednesday same thing easy and no side effects and I like one and done

[Chi-Town]

If you've been following any of the vaccine threads here you'll see you are lucky that you got an appointment so quickly but please don't brag about how easy it was. People were in line for hours on Monday and Tuesday due to re-location of site from Sumterville to Wildwood. Many did not get any notification of relocation and went to Sumterville then had to travel back to Wildwood.

If you went to the GMR site at the church you still have to get your second shot in a month and that's when the issues could start. My first shot was easy although I was on the waiting list for a month before I was scheduled and the site for the first shot was changed the day before I was scheduled from Buffalo Ridge to Sumterville. I was not notified of the change by GMR. A friend told me they had been re-located so I checked out the original site early and found it was not active. Went to new site and was in and out in 35 minutes that included 30 minute after shot monitoring.

My second shot was to be at Sumterville next Thursday at 5:30 but now Sumterville is being used for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the GMR Moderna site is at the church in Wildwood and is only open 9 to 5. Today's paper says the church site will be doing shots today and tomorrow but nothing about next week. I won't know until possibly Monday if the site is still in Wildwood. I'm hoping that GMR will actually let me know but so far their communication has not been good.

Be prepared make sure you keep your original confirmation bar code this seems to be
one requirement for getting your second shot and keep checking the newspaper for info on where the GMR site is as there is no guarantee that it will still be in Wildwood.

I also have a 5:30 appt. for the new site that closes at 5:00. I saw the response for people with Saturday appts. but nothing about the later times. Please let us know if you get an update.

[Happyone2]

Would like to pass the web site to others, could you let us know?

[newgirl]

I still can not sign up for my very high risk son, grrrrr...

[NancyLee]

If you signed up on my vaccine.fl.gov check your emails. They are starting to schedule the 60 and overs.
Yes, they called me on my cell phone and they followed up with an email. They seem to be very coordinated. I applied on March 3, they called me on March 10 at 8:30 am to make my appointment, I received my shot on March 12 by appointment. I was in and out in approx. 30-45 minutes and that included the 15 minute mandatory wait period after the shot. I recommend this method instead of trying all the drugstores, grocery stores, etc. This is a one-stop shop and it really helps the high blood pressure spike that occurs otherwise. :)

[SGR720]

My friend got the email last night about her Saturday appointment being changed. I haven't heard about my after 5 appointment so I am just going around 4 on the original date they gave me and hope I'll get it. I'd suggest you do the same. Good luck.

[SGR720]

I also have a 5:30 appt. for the new site that closes at 5:00. I saw the response for people with Saturday appts. but nothing about the later times. Please let us know if you get an update.

I'm going to go around 4 on the original second shot date with my paperwork & hope I'll get it. From what I've heard the earlier times seem to be crowded the afternoons not so much. If I do hear differently I'll keep you posted.

[bpascani]

Good for you! I got on their wl WAY back, 4 days before they had to quit, due to no shots ! I fortunately cleared with my pcp VERY quickly, and have now had my 2nd shot. I am SO glad that this facility is back up and running, and folks are clearing every day! That is AWESOME!!

[albes19@comcast.net]

I was on the saferestart from 12/28/2020 and just received a call. And I have already had the 2 doses of Pfizer in Lake county! They were a little slow but I think they did not have access to the vaccine! Publix was a lost call and I offered to administer the vaccine for free! I am aretiredRN

[Alana33]

Pleasantly surprised and relieved to receive an email from GMR last night confirming date, time, location with the barcode included for my 2nd dose of the Moderna vaccination on March 26.
I was originally scheduled at the Sumter State College site on Saturday, March 27.

[Laker14]

DW, who is 63, set up her appointment for her first shot online. She was able to make the appointment on Sunday, for Wednesday, mid-afternoon, at St. Vincent de Paul in Wildwood. Her experience was just like mine. Easy in, no waiting, 15 minutes to make sure she didn't have a reaction, and we were out of there. Smooth as a Swiss watch.