Do you need to get your second COVID vaccine dose at the same South Florida site?
Do you need to get your second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the same Florida hospital or vaccination site where you received your first dose?
Generally, the answer is yes.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management, tasked with the state’s vaccine distribution, say that’s to make sure you get the correct booster shot. It also helps health officials keep track of vaccine allocations, staffing needs and appointments.
Remember, even though you have a vaccination card that lists which vaccine you received, not every site carries both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. For starters, not every one has the special freezer needed to keep the Pfizer vaccine colder than winter in Antartica.
Another thing to consider: After receiving your first dose, officials will either schedule your second dose appointment on the spot or contact you within two weeks to schedule your second shot, depending on the site.
This includes at state-run sites at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Marlins Park in Miami and Snyder Park in Fort Lauderdale. It also applies to county-run sites at Tropical Park and Zoo Miami in South Miami-Dade and hospital systems including Jackson Health and Broward Health. Oh, and Publix.
However, it’s worth noting that if you booked your shot through Miami-Dade County, there are designated “first dose” and “second dose” specific sites, so you likely won’t go to the same spot twice.
If you book your shot through Publix, your second dose appointment is automatically set for the same pharmacy location. If you need to, you can get it at another eligible Publix. But you’ll have to compete with everyone else to snag a spot through the online booking system. And you don’t want to go through that again.
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 8:15 AM.
