COVID vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Friday, Feb. 19
COVID-19 vaccines are now available in South Florida, and the rules on who can get a shot, where and when can be confusing.
Here’s what you need to know:
What’s new today?
▪ Jackson Health System is offering COVID-19 vaccines to people 55 and older with a doctor’s note stating they have one of 13 medical conditions that have a high risk for severe disease outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
▪ Publix wants all of its employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine and is offering free gift cards to make it happen, including in Florida. Employees will have to register for a vaccine at the grocery giant like all other residents by using their vaccine portal.
▪ Broward Mayor Steve Geller sent a letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis asking to expand the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to first responders, teachers and people 55 and older.
▪ Miami Dade College’s North campus, which was being used as a vaccination site by Miami-Dade County, will now be home to the area’s first federal “mass vaccination” site, with plans for enough supply to significantly boost the county’s current lagging pace of first doses. The campus is one of four federal sites set to open in Florida next month. The other three sites are in Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville.
▪ Securing a COVID-19 vaccine appointment is complicated. There’s a lot of competition to snag a spot. And supply is limited. Then comes the second-dose challenge. Some sites schedule your booster shot the day you get your first injection. Others say you need to wait for someone to contact you about scheduling your second appointment.
▪ Two women under 65 dressed up as “grannies” to try and get their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Orlando this week — and now officials are trying to figure out how they were able to get their first shot.
▪ Miami-Dade County is opening its first walk-up mobile vaccination site this weekend in Miami Gardens. It’s part of an effort to bring vaccines into underserved neighborhoods. Appointments are not required. Interested seniors 65 and older should go to Carol City Park at 3201 NW 185th St., and register there, starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20. Vaccines are limited. Proof of Florida residency is required.
▪ Dominica and Barbados are among a handful of Caribbean and Latin American countries receiving the India-produced version of the AstraZeneca vaccine for free. India has started to use its drug-making capabilities to bolster its global image.
▪ A Weeki Wachee restaurant in a social media post is telling customers that masks, which it described as “face diapers,” are not required inside despite the pandemic.
▪ The number of new coronavirus cases in the U.S. has dropped in recent weeks. Experts think social distancing, mask-wearing, seasonality and some population immunity (not herd immunity) is the cause. Many agree it’s to early to know what role vaccines have played, partly because the vaccines do not prevent infection, but rather severe disease and death. This means a vaccinated person can still be infected with the virus and spread it to others.
Who can get COVID-19 vaccines in Florida and who cannot? Do you need proof of residency?
Florida is giving vaccines to healthcare workers, long-term care facility residents and staff, and people 65 and older. Hospitals can also choose to give the vaccine to people with health conditions that make them “at risk” of falling seriously ill with the disease.
Only Florida residents and snowbirds can get the vaccine but there is no county residency requirement in place. This means if you live in Miami-Dade, you can get the vaccine in Broward or vice versa. You will need to show proof of Florida residency.
For snowbirds or part-time residents, the proof needs to be in the form of two documents like a lease agreement and a utility bill no more than two months old, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Anyone else who lives in another state or country can no longer get the vaccine in Florida. Non-residents who have already received the vaccine in Florida will still be able to get the second dose.
The change was made to curb vaccine tourism, or people who travel from another state or country to get the vaccine in Miami or another part of the state.
Who should not get a COVID-19 vaccine?
People who have had a severe allergic reaction to ingredients in the vaccine or had a severe reaction after a previous dose. Ingredients of the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines can be found on FDA.gov.
How many people have received the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida?
According to the state’s Friday COVID-19 vaccine report, 1,323,549 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida and 1,294,225 people have completed the series of two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Of those who completed the two-dose vaccination, 149,168 were Miami-Dade residents, 128,200 were Broward residents, 116,515 were Palm Beach residents and 5,310 were Monroe residents.
What COVID-19 vaccines are available in Florida? How many doses do I need?
Florida has two vaccines available: Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires two shots, three weeks apart, and can be given to people 16 and older. Moderna’s vaccine requires two shots, one month apart, and can be given to people 18 and older. Neither vaccine will give you COVID-19.
The two vaccines are not interchangeable, however, which means that if your first shot was the Pfizer vaccine, your second shot cannot be the Moderna vaccine, according to the CDC.
COVID-19 vaccination sites in South Florida?
Publix has vaccines available in select Florida counties. Miami-Dade and Broward, the counties hit hardest during the pandemic, are not among the locations. Winn-Dixie, Walmart, Harveys, Sam’s Club and Fresco y Más also have vaccines available in select counties. CVS and Walgreens will eventually have vaccines in stock.
For now, here are your options in South Florida:
Florida state-run sites
Seniors 65 and older and people with health conditions that make them extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 can now “save their place in line” by pre-registering for the vaccine in Florida through a new website and phone system.
Healthcare workers with direct patient contact and long-term care residents and staff can also pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The new website is myvaccine.fl.gov. You can also pre-register by phone. To find the designated number for your county, visit floridahealthcovid19.gov.
Anyone who pre-registers for a vaccine appointment will be notified when slots become available at state-supported vaccination sites in their county, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which is tasked with the state’s vaccine distribution. Once you get an appointment, you will need to show proof that you are a Florida resident.
Florida residents who do not meet the priority criteria can also sign up to receive email updates to learn when they will be eligible to receive the vaccine.
Miami-Dade County:
The county has a website, miamidade.gov/vaccine, where it posts updates on where seniors, and eventually the rest of the general public, will be able to find and schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments.
Seniors 65 and older and healthcare workers with direct patient contact can also sign up for an online wait list to be notified when appointments are available at county-run sites including Zoo Miami, Miami-Dade College North Campus and Tropical Park. You can also call 305-614-2014 to pre-register.
Florida residents who don’t qualify for the vaccine yet can also sign up through the website to be given updates on the county’s vaccination process.
Here are other places that have vaccines:
▪ Carol City Park at 3201 NW 185th St. in Miami Gardens will turn into a walk-up vaccination site this weekend. Appointments are not required. Interested seniors 65 and older should go and register there, starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20. Vaccines are limited. Proof of Florida residency is required.
▪ Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach is no longer booking appointments and has canceled all first-dose appointments for Jan. 23 and later because of supply constraints. Second-dose appointments are not affected. To check for updates, visit msmc.com/coronavirus-update/
▪ Jackson Health System, the county’s public hospital network, has launched an online portal for people 65 and older to schedule vaccine appointments. To check for available appointments, visit https://jhsmiami.org/comvac/.
▪ Marlins Park in Miami, a popular COVID-19 testing site, also has vaccines. To schedule an appointment, call 888-499-0840. The number for the hearing impaired is 888-256-8918.
▪ Baptist Health, one of the county’s largest private hospitals, is no longer booking appointments and has canceled all first-dose appointments from Jan. 20 and beyond because of supply constraints. Second dose appointments are not affected. To check for updates, visit Baptisthealth.net/vaccine.
▪ Seniors 65 and older who seek care with Leon Medical Centers can call customer service at 305-642-5366 to schedule a free COVID-19 vaccination appointment. If you need transportation, let the operator know so they can also schedule a driver to pick you up. Appointments will be scheduled until Leon runs out of vaccines.
Broward County:
▪ Broward Health, the hospital network, has filled all of its vaccination appointments through February. However, it is working to schedule appointments at Fort Lauderdale’s Inter Miami CF Stadium. More on that below:
▪ Fort Lauderdale’s Inter Miami CF Stadium is now a COVID-19 vaccination site. Seniors 65 and older, office staff of Broward Health-credentialed physicians and other healthcare providers and their office staff can request an appointment online at BrowardHealth.org and a Broward Health scheduler will then respond to finish the appointment booking.
▪ Memorial Healthcare System ran out of COVID-19 vaccines again. Once doses are available again, appointments can be made through the MyChart portal, https://mychart.mhs.net for current Memorial Healthcare patients. Others will have to call 954-276-4340.
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The appointment-only vaccine locations listed in the website above are:
The Memorial Regional Conference Center, 3501 Johnson St. in Hollywood, noon to 7:30 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.
Memorial Specialty Pharmacy, 9581 Premier Pkwy. in Miramar, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
▪ The Florida Department of Health in Broward County has changed its scheduling process. Instead of requesting an appointment online, front-line healthcare workers and seniors 65 and older can now call 866-201-6313. The number for the hearing impaired is 833-476-1526.
Appointments are available at the numbers above for the following locations:
Tradewinds Park, 3600 W. Sample Rd., Coconut Creek
Vista View Park, 4001 SW 142nd Ave., Davie
Markham Park & Target Range, 16001 W. State Road 84 in Sunrise
Snyder Park, 3299 SW Fourth Ave, in Fort Lauderdale.
Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium, 3700 NW 11th Pl. in Lauderhill.
Coral Square Mall in Coral Springs.
▪ All Cleveland Clinic Florida locations, including its Weston campus, have run out of vaccination appointments for now. Cleveland Clinic said it will resume scheduling appointments through its website for current patients once it gets more doses. To check for slots, visit https://my.clevelandclinic.org/landing/covid-19-vaccine/florida
Monroe County:
More places are offering the COVID-19 vaccine in the Florida Keys.
Eligible Florida residents can now get vaccinated at Winn-Dixie stores in Key West and Tavernier, and at all Publix stores along the island chain. Appointments are required.
For Winn-Dixie, check https://www.winndixie.com/pharmacy/covid-vaccine. For Publix, check https://www.publix.com/covid-vaccine/florida.
