COVID vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Thursday, Jan. 14
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?
▪ New COVID-19 vaccination sites keep opening in Broward County for seniors 65 and older, and just like with testing, there are rules to know before you can get your first dose. Some of the things to expect: appointments are required, expect long lines and no long-sleeve shirts.
▪ Florida International University is now vaccinating its faculty and staff who are 65 and older, as well as FIU healthcare workers who have direct contact with patients. About 150 people received Moderna’s vaccine Wednesday at the university’s main campus off Southwest Eighth Street.
The university said it received vaccines for 2,000 people from Miami-Dade County and the Florida Department of Health. Last week, the school also began scheduling appointments for employees 65 and older through local healthcare providers, including Jackson Health System and Baptist Health of South Florida. FIU has also applied to be a vaccination site.
“This is the light at the end of our tunnel,” said Bridget Pelaez, assistant director of operations and safety, one of the department’s involved in managing the school’s vaccine distribution.
▪ Zoo Miami is turning into a COVID-19 vaccination site Friday, and its first patients will be those who booked appointments through Miami-Dade County’s online portal earlier this week. Future appointments are expected to open in the coming days at miamidade.gov/vaccine.
▪ Miami-Dade County has a message to those who have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine: We’ll have your second doses when it’s time — and you’ll hear from us first.
▪ The process of how to schedule your second COVID-19 vaccine injection in South Florida can vary by location. And at state-run Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, there was some confusion on how to do it. For now, the state says you’ll be contacted when it’s time for your second dose. That could change in the future.
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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, including snowbirds. Florida does not plan to require teachers and students to get the vaccine, even if one meant for children becomes available by next school year.
Florida does not have a statewide residency requirement to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This means if you live in Miami-Dade, you can get the vaccine in Broward or vice versa.
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 Wednesday COVID-19 vaccine report, 707,478 people have been vaccinated in Florida — with 61,151 people having completed the series of two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Of those who completed the two dose vaccination, 11,703 were Miami-Dade residents, 9,021 were Broward residents and 53 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.
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COVID-19 vaccination sites in South Florida?
Publix has vaccines available in select Florida counties. South Florida, which has been hit hardest during the pandemic, is not among the locations. That might change in the future. Walgreens, CVS, Winn-Dixie, Walmart and other pharmacies will also eventually have vaccines in stock.
For now, here are your options in South Florida:
Miami-Dade County:
The county has a website, miamidade.gov/vaccine, where it plans to post updates on where seniors, and eventually the rest of the general public, will be able to find and schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments.
The county also schedules appointments through the website. All slots are full, though more are expected to open soon. The county has scheduled appointments for vaccination sites Tropical Park.; Zoo Miami; at the Baptist hospital system; or facilities run by the state’s Department of Health.
Marlins Park in Miami, a popular COVID-19 testing site, is in the process of being converted into a vaccination site, date still unknown.
At the moment, here are the other places offering vaccines:
▪ Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach is booking appointments for people 75 and older and will eventually lower it to 65. Call 305-674-2312 to schedule an appointment, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday through Sunday.
▪ Jackson Health System, the county’s public hospital network, has launched an online portal for people 65 and older to schedule vaccine appointments. All of its appointment slots are full, but the hospital plans to add more in the future. To check for available appointments, visit https://jhsmiami.org/comvac/.
▪ Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Friday began providing vaccinations by appointment to seniors and front-line healthcare workers. Appointments filled up quickly. By calling 888-499-0840 or the TTY line at 888-256-8918, you can sign up for an update on when vaccination slots will be open again.
Baptist Health, one of the county’s largest private hospitals, began offering COVID-19 vaccine appointments Friday to seniors 65 and older and to those at risk of falling seriously ill with the disease. Slots were full within two hours. The hospital expects to have additional appointments available in the future. To check for appointments, 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.
▪ Pasteur and Wellmax Medical Centers are hoping to offer COVID-19 vaccines soon to seniors, including non-members. Both clinics are still waiting to receive vaccines.
▪ Florida International University has applied to be a vaccination site. The university also received Moderna doses to vaccinate FIU faculty and staff 65 and older as well as FIU healthcare workers who have direct contact with patients. Vaccinations began Wednesday.
▪ Miami-Dade County has begun contacting homebound seniors age 65 and older who live in county facilities or receive county services to offer vaccination appointments.
▪ Miami Beach has begun administering COVID-19 vaccines to some seniors living in affordable housing or who are confined to their homes.
Broward County:
▪ Broward Health, the hospital network, has all of its vaccination appointments full 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.
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 created a website to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments. All appointment slots are full. The health department says it plans to add additional appointment slots in the coming weeks at https://browardcovidvaccine.com/.
The appointment-only vaccine sites listed on the website above include:
▪ Tradewinds Park, 3600 W. Sample Rd., Coconut Creek — open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
▪ Vista View Park, 4001 SW 142nd Ave., Davie — open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
▪ Markham Park & Target Range, 16001 W. State Road 84 in Sunrise — open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
▪ Holiday Park and War Memorial in Fort Lauderdale, a former COVID-19 testing site that reopened as a vaccine site.
▪ 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:
People in the Florida Keys who are 65 and older will be able to register online or by phone to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, possibly this week, the Florida Health Department in Monroe County told the Miami Herald.
But the department couldn’t say when the vaccines will arrive.
So far, Monroe is reserving appointments only for healthcare professionals and people with special needs who are 65 and over and are registered with Monroe County Emergency Management — meaning they need special assistance during emergency evacuations and times when storm shelters are open.
For seniors in the general population, a website and phone number to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments is still on hold.
