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Florida announces COVID-19 vaccination site at University Mall in Tampa

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Posted at 7:20 PM, Jan 20, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-21 17:31:53-05

The Florida Department of Health (FLDOH) and Florida Division of Emergency Management announced a new state-supported COVID-19 vaccination site in Tampa.

The vaccination site is at the University Mall, 2200 E. Fowler Ave.

The site will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will offer the vaccine to all people 65 years and older, as well as frontline healthcare workers.

"We know the vaccine is in limited supply still, so we want to make sure that we are doing this in a strategic way," said FLDOH Hillsborough County spokesperson Kevin Walter. "We do not ever want to over promise and under deliver."

RELATED: COVID-19 Vaccine: Where people 65 and older can get vaccinated in the Tampa Bay area

The site will offer 1,600 doses of Pfizer vaccine to pre-registered people per day, free of charge.

"Each day, there’s going to be about 1,600 appointments available," said Walter. "That’s an increase from the previous weeks, where it was around 9,000 each week. That’s going to increase it to about 11,200 each week, and as more vaccine comes, we do anticipate that number will increase over time.”

No walk-ups will be accepted and appointments are required.

To request an appointment, call 1-866-200-3896, TTY 1-833-476-1029.

"It’s an automated system that’s going to take your information and then someone will call you back and then schedule the next available appointment," said Walter.

Hillsborough County officials explain priority is being given to people 65 and older who previously created an account to schedule a vaccination at one of the county's other sites, but weren't able to get a reservation. The county says those people are being contacted directly — people like Brenda Patterson.

"I filled out the application online about two weeks ago, and they had four sites at that time, but they all were booked up," said Patterson. "They called me, and I said good.”

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Everyone is encouraged to bring a government-issued form of ID and health insurance information to the site.

If you got your first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at any of Hillsborough County's public vaccination sites (Ed Radice Sports Complex, Strawberry Festival grounds, University Mall, or Vance Vogel Sports Complex) on Jan. 6-9 or Jan. 13-15, you will be able to return to those sites for your second dose.

The county says those people will be contacted to confirm their second appointment in the coming days.