Only J&J, 2nd-dose Pfizer vaccines will be administered at MDC site starting next week

Miami Dade College’s vaccine site will only be administering the Johnson & Johnson and the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine starting next week, along with FEMA sites in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa.

Starting Tuesday, April 6, the MDC North Campus site will no longer offer the first shot of the two-shot Pfizer vaccine and will fully transition to administering only the one-shot J&J vaccine, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said in a statement Friday.

Monday, April 5, will be the last day to get a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the site before the transition.

This transition is due to the state receiving an increased allocation of J&J vaccines, the state said.

The MDC site will be able to administer up to 3,000 J&J shots per day, along with the three other FEMA-supported sites in Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville. That’s down from current levels at the MDC site, which on Thursday administered 4,473 shots, 2,908 first doses and 1,565 second doses, according to the state.

J&J vaccines have been in short supply. In fact, in mid-March, FEMA said the Miami Dade College North Campus site and the two federal satellite centers, then in North Miami Beach and Miami Springs, would only offer the two-dose series Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The state said by transitioning to the one-dose J&J vaccine, it will streamline the vaccine process, rather than vaccinating those seeking a first dose and those seeking a second dose.

But those who have already received their first dose of Pfizer are guaranteed to receive the second dose at the federal site they were given it, which includes the MDC site and satellite sites, like at North Miami Beach and Miami Springs currently, emergency management said.

Once all the satellite sites finish administering all second doses, they will no longer be operational.

In order to get a J&J shot next week, a person must be 18 or older and show proof of Florida residency.