Targeted vaccine initiative brings doses directly to Hillsborough seniors
TAMPA, Fla. - Hillsborough County public health officials will spend Friday morning administering doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to more than 100 people who are 65 and older as the Target Vaccine Area initiative visits River Pines Senior Apartments.
According to county officials, the initiative allows for staff to visit and vaccinate seniors at senior homes, independent living communities, churches, and other targeted groups throughout the county.
"Last week, Hillsborough County Aging Services, Hillsborough County Office of Emergency Management, and the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County identified and scheduled vaccinations at seven sites," a county spokesperson said in an announcement.
Vaccinations were administered to more than 1,100 seniors last week at:
- Mary Walker Apartments in Temple Terrace
- San Clemente Villas in Plant City
- Bayshore Presbyterian Apartments in Tampa
- Patrician Arms I and II in Tampa
- J.L. Young Apartments in Tampa
- Robles Park Apartments in Tampa, and
- Revealing Truth Ministries in Tampa
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The county said USF Health, Hillsborough Community College, Tampa General Hospital, and the Tampa Housing Authority are partners in the TVA initiative.
"This week, Hillsborough County and its partners will continue to provide the same service to seniors at other locations," Hillsborough spokesman José Patiño said in a statement. "The timing of future vaccinations through the TVA initiative will depend on the supply of vaccines."
The aim of the TVA initiative is to identify locations with high concentrations of seniors and to deliver the vaccines to them. The program launched in January at Kings Manor in Tampa and the San Lorenzo I and II communities.
Staff from the Hillsborough County Office of Emergency Management and Aging Services are still working to identify locations for future vaccinations.