How can you cancel or reschedule your COVID-19 vaccine appointment in South Florida?

Howard Cohen, Michelle Marchante
·3 min read

Scheduling and getting an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination in Miami-Dade and Broward has not been easy, as thousands of seniors, and their caretakers, have learned.

So when new locations are added many, to be on the safe side, scheduled appointments at more than one place. This way, you felt you had a backup in case the first, second or third choices fell through.

Now, you got that coveted first dose at, say Jackson in Miami-Dade or one of the drive-thru parks in Broward County. You planned all along on canceling the other appointments so as to give the next person a shot at getting a, well, shot.

Can you do that?

Yes. But it’s not easy everywhere.

Miami-Dade County COVID-19 sites: How to cancel

Rachel Johnson, spokeswoman for the Office of the Miami-Dade Mayor, said the specific process varies site to site.

“For Miami-Dade County vaccination sites, we don’t have a way for people to cancel online right now, but we are looking into adding this option,” Johnson said in an email to the Miami Herald. “And, of course, for any slots that aren’t filled and vaccines unused, those would be added to subsequent appointment releases to make sure we are moving vaccines out as fast as possible.”

Miami-Dade County-supported sites include Tropical Park and Zoo Miami.

▪ Baptist Health South Florida, which began fulfilling appointments for seniors on Monday, Jan. 11, on its Kendall campus in Miami-Dade, has a way to cancel, said spokesman David Zarco.

“Go to baptisthealth.net/vaccine and follow the prompts,” he said. “There is a link on the site — toward the top — that you can follow to cancel your appointment.”

Actually, you will find the hyperlink to cancel in the pink box of text just under the page’s main image.

To cancel a scheduled COVID-19 vaccine appointment at Baptist Health in Miami-Dade you can visit the site at baptisthealth.net/vaccine and you will find the hyperlink to cancel in the pink box of text just under the main image.
To cancel a scheduled COVID-19 vaccine appointment at Baptist Health in Miami-Dade you can visit the site at baptisthealth.net/vaccine and you will find the hyperlink to cancel in the pink box of text just under the main image.

▪ Jackson Health System currently does not have a cancellation system, said spokeswoman Lidia Amoretti. “We are seeing very few cancellations, but we are slightly overbooking every day to compensate.”

That doesn’t mean Jackson is running out of doses if everyone with an appointment shows up no a given day, she said. “We are honoring all appointments.”

People who scored an appointment at Jackson Health System should have received a card with the date for your second appointment three weeks later handwritten on one side. The exact time should have been sent to you within a week of that dose via text or email, or both, and that confirmation notice includes a hyperlink option to reschedule your appointment within 18 to 24 days of your first appointment.

Jackson is partnering with houses of worship to vaccinate members. Is yours on the list?

How to cancel your COVID-19 appointment in Broward County

▪ If you are a Cleveland Clinic patient who made your appointment through Cleveland Clinic’s MyChart, when your appointment is confirmed you will have the ability to review your appointment details at any time in your MyChart account. Patients will be able to cancel and reschedule appointments, according to Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinics’ locations include Weston, Parkland, Fort Lauderdale and Indian River.

▪ For appointments booked through browardcovidvaccine.com, you don’t have to do anything if you want to cancel, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health in Broward County said. Vaccination sites on the website include Holiday Park and War Memorial in Fort Lauderdale, Vista View Park in Davie and Coral Square Mall in Coral Springs.

He said the department “made allowances” for cancellations in the appointment schedule. No specifics were provided, but like in Miami-Dade County, it likely involves giving the unused vaccines to future appointments.

▪ If you scheduled an appointment through Broward Health’s hospital system and need to cancel or reschedule, you can do so at BrowardHealth.org/COVIDReschedule. If you need to reschedule, the hospital said they will try to do so but it will depend on vaccine availability. If you cancel and then change your mind, you’ll have to apply for a new appointment.

How early should you get to your COVID vaccine appointment? And are there toilets?

This article will be updated.