Can seniors get COVID vaccines at Hard Rock Stadium? And does it still have testing?
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens is now offering COVID-19 vaccines to front-line healthcare workers and seniors 65 and older, according to Florida’s Division of Emergency Management.
Appointments first opened up at 8 a.m. Friday by calling 888-499-0840. For those who use a TTY, call 888-256-8918. Available slots quickly filled up.
Those wishing to be notified when appointments will open should call the center’s number and prepare to give their name, mother’s maiden name, birthday, phone number and email.
The vaccine given at the drive-thru site is Moderna’s, which requires two shots, one month apart. The vaccine will not give you COVID-19.
Florida does not have a statewide residency requirement to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This means if you live in Broward, you can get the vaccine in Miami-Dade or vice versa. Snowbirds can get it too.
Hard Rock Stadium is offering COVID-19 vaccines. Here is what to expect
The state is asking everyone who schedules a vaccine appointment at the site to bring a government-issued ID, like a driver’s license, and health insurance information. Anyone with or without insurance can get the vaccine and you will not be charged for it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Both vaccines and testing were originally offered at the same gate in separate lines but it caused too much traffic congestion, said Mike Jachles, chair of the Florida Association of Public Information Officers.
Now testing and vaccinations are separated. For COVID-19 testing, you want Gate 13 and do not need an appointment. For the COVID-19 vaccine, you want Gate 16 and must have an appointment.
Once you get your first shot, workers will enter your information into an online system and will give you a vaccination card. You will then be asked to pull your car off to the side and wait for 15 minutes to make sure you do not get any immediate reactions to the vaccine, per CDC recommendation.
Initially, the plan was for workers to schedule your second appointment on the site, but the system isn’t ready yet. So for now, patients will be contacted, either by phone or email, about two weeks after their first dose to schedule their booster shot. And remember that vaccination card? You need it for your second shot.
There are 1,000 appointments available per day, according to Florida’s emergency management division. Additional appointments will open as more vaccines become available.
With more than 4,000 tests a day being done at the site at the same time as vaccines, Jachles recommends people plan ahead because wait times can exceed three hours. Be ready: Fill the car with gas, use the bathroom beforehand, and bring snacks and water.
On Jan. 6, during Hard Rock Stadium’s unannounced “soft opening” for vaccinations, 309 vaccines were administered to first responders and their family members 65 and older, Jachles said.
On Jan.7, well over 1,000 vaccinations were given to first responders, their immediate family who are 65 and older, and retired first responders who were 65 and older.
Hard Rock Stadium will now give COVID-19 vaccines. Will it still offer testing?
Hard Rock Stadium, a popular state-run COVID-19 testing site in Miami-Dade County, was the first state-run site in the county to offer vaccinations. It will also continue offering COVID-19 testing for now, according to Florida’s Division of Emergency Management.
Another way to plan ahead for testing is to pre-register at florida.curativeinc.com. You’ll still have to wait in line, but it quickens the process when it is your turn.
Another testing site in the process of converting into a vaccine site is Marlins Park in Miami, according to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
In Broward County, state-run testing site Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale opened as an appointment-only vaccination site. It is no longer offering COVID-19 tests. There also is a list of other places in South Florida offering COVID-19 vaccines to seniors.
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 8:57 AM.
