Hundreds camp out in cars overnight hoping to get vaccine today - WJXT News4JAX

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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – COVID-19 vaccines are going fast in St. Johns County and people who qualify are going to extremes to try and get one.

The vaccine is currently only available for healthcare workers and people 65 and older and the health department is giving shots throughout the weekend. After people were turned away when Friday’s allocation was gone before noon, people hoping to get shots on Saturday began lining up in their vehicles on Friday evening. Some people even brought RVs.

A woman in line overnight told News4Jax deputies were called when people started cutting into the line. By dawn, there were hundreds of cars in line outside the St. Johns County Health Department -- backing up about three miles along U.S. 1. New4Jax was told before 8 a.m. the Sheriff’s Office was planning to send deputies to make sure the travel lanes are not blocked and help manage the situation.

The office is scheduled to be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

The health department originally was taking vaccine appointments, but when their phone line crashed, they no longer required appointments, creating frustration and long lines.

A county commissioner said the health department has accepted an offer to accept the county’s help with distribution of the vaccine, but no changes to its plans have been announced.

Officials say 340 people got the vaccine before the St. Johns County health office closed on Friday and those who got in line that evening said they were determined to get theirs. Officials say more than one-third of the 3,000 doses of Moderna vaccine it has received so far have been used.

“I decided I was going to come today,” said Joan Tischer, who arrived at 6 p.m. Friday so she could be first in line. “It’s not as bad waiting here as it is spending a night in the ICU.”

Amal Soni helped his parents set up their RV in the line.

“They’re both over 65. There’s a lot of people in the household that are high risk. My wife has diabetes, so we wanted to make sure that they were safe,” Soni said.

Earlier Friday, long lines of cars waited outside the health department for the second day in a row. Health officials said the day’s supply of COVID-19 vaccines were gone in 2½ hours.

Licensed clinical social worker Ambria Page, says she got the vaccine after waiting for seven hours.

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Hundreds camp out in cars overnight hoping to get vaccine today - WJXT News4JAX
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