COVID vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 5
COVID-19 vaccines are now available in South Florida, and the rules on who can get it, where and when can be confusing.
Here’s what you need to know:
What’s new today?
▪ Memorial Healthcare System is now offering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to senior citizens at two locations in Broward County. Click here to learn more.
▪ Jackson Health System, Miami-Dade County’s public hospital network, opened an online portal Tuesday for people 65 and older to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments. The website to schedule appointments went live earlier than planned Tuesday and ran out of slots quickly, leaving many frustrated. Click here to read more.
▪ Miami-Dade County has begun vaccinating people 65 and over who either live in county housing complexes or are county employees. There’s also a chance Miami-Dade will get its first drive-up vaccination site soon. Click here to learn more.
▪ Broward County opened a new appointment-only vaccination site Tuesday at Markham Park & Target Range, 16001 W. State Road 84 in Sunrise. The Florida Department of Health in Broward County began booking appointments for the site last Wednesday. While there are no more appointments available, the health department says it will be adding additional slots in the coming weeks at browardcovidvaccine.com.
▪ Five more vaccination sites have opened or are coming to Broward County this week in Coconut Creek, Davie, Lauderhill, Fort Lauderdale and Sunrise. Click here to learn more.
▪ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said teachers and school staff won’t be prioritized for vaccination against COVID-19 — at least for now. Click here to learn more.
▪ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Publix will administer about 15,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in 22 of its stores in Citrus, Hernando and Marion counties. Click here to learn more.
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. For the ingredients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, click here. For Moderna’s vaccine ingredients, click here.
What COVID-19 vaccines are available in Florida? How many doses do I need?
Florida currently 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, Walgreens, CVS, Winn-Dixie, Walmart and other pharmacies will eventually have vaccines in stock. For now, here are your options:
Miami-Dade County:
The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County still hasn’t announced its vaccination site plans, so options are limited to hospitals for now.
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.
At the moment, there are just two 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. For more information, call 305-674-2312.
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/.
Broward County:
The Florida Department of Health in Broward County has created a website to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments. As of Monday morning, 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 are:
▪ 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.
▪ Starting Tuesday, Markham Park & Target Range, 16001 W State Road 84 in Sunrise, will also be an appointment-only vaccination site. Its regular hours will be Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
▪ Holiday Park and War Memorial in Fort Lauderdale will reopen on Thursday after being converted from a testing site to a vaccine site.
▪ On Friday, Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium, 3700 NW 11th Place in Lauderhill, will open.
Broward Health, the hospital network, has all of its vaccination appointments full through February and is no longer accepting appointments for now.
Monroe County:
The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County is in the “planning phase” of getting the vaccine to people 65 and older registered as special needs with Monroe County Emergency Management — meaning they need special assistance during emergency evacuations and times when storm shelters are open.
Eligibility requirements to register include being dependent on oxygen, having limited mobility, needing assistance with daily activities like being fed, taking medications and hygiene, having moderate dementia and/or cognitive impairment, being wheelchair bound and being in need of wound care and/or constant supervision.
Registration is available at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/148/Special-Needs-Registry.
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 8:31 AM with the headline "COVID vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 5."
