COVID vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Friday, Jan. 15
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?
▪ 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. If you need to cancel your vaccine appointment, can you do so? Yes, but it’s not easy everywhere. What if you have car trouble, can you reschedule your shot? It depends on the site.
▪ Miami-Dade County residents could start receiving vaccinations for COVID-19 at Marlins Park as soon as Wednesday — but Miami Mayor Francis Suarez wants to reserve doses only for those who live inside city limits. Florida officials say federal rules bar residency restrictions. This means Miami-Dade and Monroe residents can get the vaccine in Broward County and vice versa. Snowbirds and vaccine tourists, people who come to Florida just for the vaccine, can get it too.
▪ Zoo Miami’s vaccination site opened Friday but your chance to get an appointment could be short-lived. A planned pause in Florida’s vaccine deliveries to Miami-Dade’s county government could shut it down next week as state officials cite frustrations with a slowdown in federal vaccine supplies. Tropical Park’s vaccine site is also in jeopardy.
▪ Members of Florida’s congressional delegation asked the federal government Thursday for more COVID-19 vaccines to account for the thousands of seasonal residents who move to the state during the winter months, saying that the influx of “snowbirds” is straining the initial allotment.
▪ 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.
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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 Thursday COVID-19 vaccine report, 774,768 people have been vaccinated in Florida — with 72,087 people having completed the series of two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Of those who completed the two dose vaccination, 12,786 were Miami-Dade residents, 9,928 were Broward residents and 176 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.
A planned pause on Florida’s vaccine deliveries to Miami-Dade County’s government could cause its Zoo Miami and Tropical Park’s vaccination sites to shut down next week.
Marlins Park in Miami, a popular COVID-19 testing site, is expected to also offer vaccinations Wednesday.
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
