COVID vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Monday, Jan. 11
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?
▪ Miami-Dade shut down its COVID-19 vaccination website shortly after it went live again Monday as demand for vaccine doses continues to overwhelm supply. A county spokesperson said traffic on the reservation website spiked as the site went live at 2 p.m., overwhelming the system and prompting a brief shutdown of the portal. It was back up before 3 p.m., and about 2,000 appointments were scooped up within 10 minutes.
▪ Fort Lauderdale’s Inter Miami CF Stadium will transition Tuesday into a COVID-19 vaccination site, where up to 500 vaccines a day will be administered to those who pre-register online. The site, run by Broward Health, is a partnership between the City of Fort Lauderdale and Inter Miami CF. The stadium, formerly known as Lockhart Park, will be open Monday through Friday for people 65 and over, office staff of Broward Health-credentialed physicians and other healthcare providers and their office staff members.
▪ Miami Dade College has finalized a deal that would give its employees 65 & older the chance to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Other plans being discussed include using select MDC students & staff to help administer vaccines in the community.
▪ The city of Coral Springs announced it’ll open a COVID-19 vaccine walk-up site for senior citizens at Coral Square Mall starting Wednesday. But don’t head for 9469 W. Atlantic Blvd. with your sleeves rolled up just yet. Appointments need to be made through the Florida Department of Health in Broward County website, browardcovidvaccine.com, which has had slots full since Jan. 3.
▪ Most Broward County public school teachers will be returning to the classroom Monday, despite objections from the teacher’s union that many of the district’s remote employees have serious health issues that make them at risk for severe COVID-19 complications. The union filed a lawsuit Thursday to try and stop the transition. In terms of the COVID-19 vaccine, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has previously said teachers and school staff will not be a priority for now.
▪ Miami-Dade County has COVID-19 vaccines available for seniors again Monday. But just like the past two previous times, slots are expected to fill up fast. Appointments will become available at 2 p.m. on miamidade.gov/vaccine for seniors 65 and older.
▪ COVID-19 testing is canceled Monday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens because of the Alabama-Ohio State college football championship game, officials say. The stadium’s vaccination site will close early at noon.
▪ Several Broward mayors and lawmakers joined State Sen. Shevrin Jones Sunday morning as he opened a coronavirus vaccination site at Koinonia Worship Center in Pembroke Park. More than 500 senior citizens received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as Jones emphasized unity as the only way to confront the virus that has already killed more than 23,000 people in Florida alone.
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Who can get COVID-19 vaccines in Florida and who cannot? Do you need proof of residency?
Currently, 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 vaccine can be found on FDA.gov.
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 three of Florida’s 67 counties. None of the counties are in South Florida, which has been hit hardest during the pandemic. 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.
Slots will open again Monday at 2 p.m. Previously, the county has scheduled appointments for its drive-thru vaccination site at Tropical Park, 7900 SW 40th St.; 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 currently 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 frontline 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 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 and is waiting to hear back from the Florida Department of Health.
▪ 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:
Memorial Healthcare System is no longer offering Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to senior citizens. All slots are full for now. Once more slots open, appointments can be made at 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. As of Monday, all of the 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 which reopened as a vaccine site.
▪ Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium, 3700 NW 11th Pl. in Lauderhill.
▪ Coral Square Mall in Coral Springs walk-up site will open Wednesday.
Broward Health, the hospital network, has all of its vaccination appointments full through February and is no longer accepting appointments for now.
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 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.
