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Board of County Commissioners Meeting Minutes - Final January 6, 2021 (Clerk's Note: This item was moved to follow Item 8. Consent Agenda) Director of Emergency Services Tad Stone provided an update regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. He noted that the Fire Rescue and Emergency Management Divisions of Emergency Services were working with the Florida Department of Health in Indian River County, Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, and Treasure Coast Community Health to make the vaccination process run as smooth as possible. He discussed the schedule for administering the vaccines to individuals 65 years of age or older, and he reminded the Board of the continuous guideline changes that have been coming from the State and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Commissioner Moss inquired and received clarification from Chief Stone that www.AlertIndianRiver.com was the best way to sign up to receive notifications regarding vaccination appointment availability. In addition, the Commissioner mentioned community frustrations related to communication and limited supply, and Chief Stone clarified that the State determined the number of vaccines each. County would receive. Vice Chairman O'Bryan was in favor of vaccinations being administered to the oldest residents first. Chief Stone pointed out the difficulty.of sorting by age based on the Governor's orders. Miranda Hawker, Health Officer, Florida Department of Health in Indian River County, stated that the County was unable to break down the vaccinations by age due to the current executive orders from the Governor, which included eligibility for individuals age 65 or older. She also mentioned that the vaccine supply coming to the County was variable with little advanced notice; however, once the vaccines became more readily available there were outlets for getting the shots administered. Vice Chairman O'Bryan inquired and received clarification from Ms. Hawker that the County had been assured the second doses of the vaccine. In addition, he commended the. Health Department on their effort to reach as many people as possible, noting that all people do not have access to a computer. Commissioner Moss addressed concerns that phone calls were not being answered at Cleveland Clinic Iridian River Hospital.. Ms. Hawker recommended that established patients of Cleveland Clinic should continue to reach out to the hospital for vaccines. She also pointed out that the volume of phone calls being received by the Hospital and by the Health Department was tough to keep up with. Chairman Flescher spoke on the effectiveness of the County's alert system, noting that the residents who were signed up to receive the alerts had acted in a timely fashion and filled the available appointments very quickly, and that the issue of limited vaccines was challenging for everyone. The Chairman was encouraged by the number of residents interested in getting the COVID-19 vaccine, and he Indian River County Florida Page 10