Phone a new option for vaccine sign-up

Broward unveils number to help with registration

The state unveiled a new phone number Thursday to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in Broward County — one more attempt to unravel the maze of troubles that seniors have encountered in getting the vaccine.

The state health department announced it was abandoning its website registration for a phone number sign-up instead. Seniors age 65 and older can call 866-201-6313 to request an appointment.

The phone bank opened immediately. When people call the appointment number, they will be asked through an automated system to enter information using their telephone keypad. Live agents will call people back to make appointments until all current appointments are filled, according to a statement from the department.

The phone line comes as one more sign-up initiative before a statewide website to register for the vaccine is made available. Such a website is in the works, said Florida Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees, who recently promised improvements but said many Floridians still will be in for a long wait.

With the new phone line for Broward, left unanswered were questions about why this method would prove more successful than the phone line in Palm Beach County, which was abandoned after crashing under the weight of thousands of requests.

The state health department then replaced the phone system with email registration, which also closed after it became overwhelmed. Only people on the waiting list will be scheduled until more vaccines become available, the health department said.

Although the state health department in Palm Beach County initially said more than 200,000 vaccine requests were sent by email, a spokesman did not comment Thursday about how many people still were left to schedule.

In Broward County, the Florida Department of Health said 4,850 appointments were available Friday through Monday. Health officials did not respond to questions about how many calls they received Thursday.

The vaccination sites, where you must have an appointment before showing up, are:

Tradewinds Park, 3600 W. Sample Road, Coconut Creek.

Vista View Park, 4001 SW 142 Ave., Davie.

Markham Park, 16001 W. State Road 84, Sunrise.

Holiday Park, 1150 G. Harold Martin Drive, Fort Lauderdale.

Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium, 3700 NW 11th Place, Lauderhill.

Overflow appointments, which pertain to people who had appointments elsewhere and are being redirected, are at the southwest entrance of Coral Square Mall, at the intersection of University Drive and Atlantic Boulevard in Coral Springs. This is a park-andwalk-up site, not a drivethru. County officials said 40,000 people are currently on the list awaiting vaccination appointments.

There are more vaccination sites to come, including a new site at a county park in Hollywood.