Leon Medical Centers have COVID-19 vaccine for seniors. Pasteur, Wellmax are still waiting
Leon Medical Centers are now giving COVID-19 vaccines to seniors 65 and older in South Florida. Pasteur and Wellmax Medical Centers are hoping to do the same soon.
“I’m elated. I’m so happy,” said Maureen De Soria, Leon’s vice president of clinical operations. De Soria was one of the people involved in Leon’s vaccination plan, which had been in the works for months. She was also one of the employees that gave vaccines to patients during Leon’s official vaccination launch this week.
“It was just so heartwarming because they [the seniors] are so happy and they heard the stories about some other elderly patients greater than 65 years old who have to stand in line and wait hours and then not get it at the end,” said De Soria during a phone interview with the Miami Herald Thursday.
Leon Medical Centers vaccinate seniors against COVID-19 in South Florida
Seniors who seek care with Leon 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. Leon is giving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which requires two doses, three weeks apart. Your appointment for the second dose will be scheduled when you get your first shot.
De Soria said Leon has been contacting patients that are considered most “at risk” to offer them the vaccine. This includes patients who have never had COVID-19 and have a health condition that makes them at higher risk of falling seriously ill with the disease. Those who call to schedule a vaccination appointment will also be added to the priority list.
Callers will be screened to make sure they qualify for the vaccine and to determine if they need to speak with their doctor first.
Leon Medical Centers said they received 9,800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday and vaccinated its healthcare workers Tuesday, starting with those most at risk of being exposed to COVID-19, including nurses and physicians. At Leon, just like in the rest of the state, the vaccine is optional. On Tuesday afternoon, it vaccinated some patients as part of a “soft launch.”
Wednesday is when the shots officially got rolling at its South Florida locations, including in Hialeah, Kendall and Miami. By the end of the day, Leon had vaccinated about 900 patients.
The only center not offering the vaccine is Leon’s Westchester campus, 8888 SW 24th Street. Patients who attend that clinic can schedule a vaccination appointment (and transportation, if needed) at one of Leon’s other centers.
Currently, Leon is focusing on vaccinating its seniors. The company says it has more than 42,000 registered members.
De Soria said Leon has a contract with Florida that will allow it to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to the general public as well once the state asks them to do so.
Are Pasteur and WellMax Medical Centers offering seniors COVID-19 vaccines?
Seniors hoping to get the COVID-19 vaccine at Pasteur or Wellmax Medical Centers will have to wait a little longer.
Both companies, which are owned by health plan HealthSun, are still waiting to receive their first vaccine shipment.
Once vaccines are in stock, select Pasteur and Wellmax centers in Miami-Dade and Broward counties will schedule free COVID-19 vaccination appointments for seniors 65 and older, including non-members.
Currently, there are approximately 10,500 patients registered with Pasteur and about 6,500 patients at Wellmax, a company spokesman said.
“The health and well-being of our patients and the community is our top priority. We are in contact with public health officials regarding vaccine distribution ... Additional details will be communicated soon,” a Pasteur and Wellmax spokesman said in an email to the Miami Herald.
Both companies are also in the process of obtaining special freezers designed for the Pfizer vaccine, which needs to be kept at temperatures colder than winter in Antarctica. The companies are also working on obtaining freezers specifically for the Moderna vaccine, which can be kept in a regular freezer.
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 2:36 PM.
