COVID vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Thursday, Feb. 4
COVID-19 vaccines are now available in South Florida, and the rules on who can get a shot, where and when can be confusing.
Here’s what you need to know:
What’s new today?
▪ Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced that the state will be allocating 1,500 doses weekly of the COVID-19 vaccine for homebound seniors, and that the first 750 doses will be going to Holocaust survivors and their spouses. Holocaust survivors can sign up for the vaccine by calling the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center in Dania Beach at 954-929-5690, ext. 302.
▪ Common side effects of Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines include fever, headache, fatigue and muscle aches, just like with other recommended vaccines. For many, the side effects are more powerful after the second dose is administered. Health experts say this is a sign that your body is building the immune response it needs to protect you.
▪ Publix is set to open new COVID-19 vaccine appointments after 7 a.m. Friday. Doses are still not available in Miami-Dade and Broward counties yet. Seniors 65 and older can still book a slot in Monroe, Palm Beach or another county.
▪ It could take another year or longer for cruise lines to begin “significant” operations in Florida’s waters like they did pre-pandemic, according to port-industry lobbying group Florida Ports Council. The group has described the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s requirements to begin cruising during the pandemic as “onerous” and are hoping to have some vessels operating at half capacity this summer.
▪ Nursing students at the College of the Florida Keys will give 400 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at its Lower Keys campus on Sunday. But don’t rush to register. All of the appointments will be filled before Sunday from a list of people eligible for the vaccine given to the college by the state health department.
▪ Florida’s decentralized vaccine rollout has prioritized speed over equity, meaning luck and connections often determine who gets a shot.
▪ Vaccine rollout kinks are being worked out. But changes aren’t consistent between county-run sites and the state, leaving some people confused, waiting in long lines and, in some cases, being turned away.
▪ Vaccination appointments are hard to come by, and the journey to book a slot can be filled with confusion. To increase your chances of getting one, try these COVID-19 vaccine booking tips.
Who can get COVID-19 vaccines in Florida and who cannot? Do you need proof of residency?
Florida is giving vaccines to healthcare workers, long-term care facility residents and staff, and people 65 and older. Hospitals can also choose to give the vaccine to people with health conditions that make them “at risk” of falling seriously ill with the disease.
Only Florida residents and snowbirds can get the vaccine but there is no county residency requirement in place. This means if you live in Miami-Dade, you can get the vaccine in Broward or vice versa. You will need to show proof of Florida residency.
For snowbirds or part-time residents, the proof needs to be in the form of two documents like a lease agreement and a utility bill no more than two months old, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Anyone else who lives in another state or country can no longer get the vaccine in Florida. Non-residents who have already received the vaccine in Florida will still be able to get the second dose.
The change was made to curb vaccine tourism, or people who travel from another state or country to get the vaccine in Miami or another part of the state.
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. Ingredients of the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines can be found on FDA.gov.
How many people have received the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida?
According to the state’s Wednesday COVID-19 vaccine report, 1,367,011 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida and 421,315 people have completed the series of two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Of those who completed the two-dose vaccination, 66,759 were Miami-Dade residents, 38,274 were Broward residents, 29,822 were Palm Beach residents and 1,184 were Monroe residents.
What COVID-19 vaccines are available in Florida? How many doses do I need?
Florida 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 has vaccines available in select Florida counties. Miami-Dade and Broward, the counties hit hardest during the pandemic, are not among the locations. That might change in the future. Walgreens, CVS, Winn-Dixie, Walmart and other pharmacies will also eventually have vaccines in stock.
For now, here are your options in South Florida:
Florida state-run sites
Seniors 65 and older and people with health conditions that make them extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 can now “save their place in line” by pre-registering for the vaccine in Florida through a new website and phone system.
Healthcare workers with direct patient contact and long-term care residents and staff can also pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The new website is myvaccine.fl.gov. You can also pre-register by phone. To find the designated number for your county, visit floridahealthcovid19.gov.
Anyone who pre-registers for a vaccine appointment will be notified when slots become available at state-supported vaccination sites in their county, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which is tasked with the state’s vaccine distribution. Once you get an appointment, you will need to show proof that you are a Florida resident.
Florida residents who do not meet the priority criteria can also sign up to receive email updates to learn when they will be eligible to receive the vaccine.
Miami-Dade County:
The county has a website, miamidade.gov/vaccine, where it posts updates on where seniors, and eventually the rest of the general public, will be able to find and schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments.
The county schedules appointments through the website and a new hotline, 305-614-2014, for several vaccination sites including Zoo Miami and Tropical Park. A website and phone system that will allow seniors to get on a wait list and be notified when slots become available is also in the works.
Here are other places that have vaccines:
▪ Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach is no longer booking appointments and has canceled all first-dose appointments for Jan. 23 and later because of supply constraints. Second-dose appointments are not affected. To check for updates, visit msmc.com/coronavirus-update/
▪ Jackson Health System, the county’s public hospital network, has launched an online portal for people 65 and older to schedule vaccine appointments. To check for available appointments, visit https://jhsmiami.org/comvac/.
▪ Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens is providing vaccinations by appointment to seniors and front-line healthcare workers. Appointments filled up quickly. Call 888-499-0840 or the TTY line at 888-256-8918.
▪ Marlins Park in Miami, a popular COVID-19 testing site, also has vaccines. For now, there is no municipal residency requirement, which means you do not need to live within the city limits to be vaccinated. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez wants to change that. For now, you just need to show proof of Florida residency. To schedule an appointment, call 888-499-0840. The number for the hearing impaired is 888-256-8918.
▪ Baptist Health, one of the county’s largest private hospitals, is no longer booking appointments and has canceled all first-dose appointments from Jan. 20 and beyond because of supply constraints. Second dose appointments are not affected. To check for updates, visit Baptisthealth.net/vaccine.
▪ Seniors 65 and older who seek care with Leon Medical Centers 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.
▪ Pasteur and Wellmax Medical Centers are hoping to offer COVID-19 vaccines soon to seniors, including non-members. Both clinics are still waiting to receive vaccines.
▪ Florida International University has applied to be a vaccination site. The university also received Moderna doses to vaccinate FIU faculty and staff 65 and older as well as FIU healthcare workers who have direct contact with patients.
▪ Miami-Dade County has begun contacting homebound seniors age 65 and older who live in county facilities or receive county services to offer vaccination appointments.
▪ Miami Beach has begun administering COVID-19 vaccines to some seniors living in affordable housing or who are confined to their homes.
Broward County:
▪ Broward Health, the hospital network, has filled all of its vaccination appointments through February. However, it is working to schedule appointments at Fort Lauderdale’s Inter Miami CF Stadium. More on that below:
▪ Fort Lauderdale’s Inter Miami CF Stadium is now a COVID-19 vaccination site. Seniors 65 and older, office staff of Broward Health-credentialed physicians and other healthcare providers and their office staff can request an appointment online at BrowardHealth.org and a Broward Health scheduler will then respond to finish the appointment booking.
▪ Memorial Healthcare System ran out of COVID-19 vaccines again. Once doses are available again, appointments can be made through the MyChart portal, https://mychart.mhs.net for current Memorial Healthcare patients. Others will have to call 954-276-4340.
The appointment-only vaccine locations listed in the website above are:
The Memorial Regional Conference Center, 3501 Johnson St. in Hollywood, noon to 7:30 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.
Memorial Specialty Pharmacy, 9581 Premier Pkwy. in Miramar, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
▪ The Florida Department of Health in Broward County has changed its scheduling process. Instead of requesting an appointment online, front-line healthcare workers and seniors 65 and older can now call 866-201-6313. The number for the hearing impaired is 833-476-1526.
Appointments are available at the numbers above for the following locations:
Tradewinds Park, 3600 W. Sample Rd., Coconut Creek
Vista View Park, 4001 SW 142nd Ave., Davie
Markham Park & Target Range, 16001 W. State Road 84 in Sunrise
Snyder Park, 3299 SW Fourth Ave, in Fort Lauderdale.
Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium, 3700 NW 11th Pl. in Lauderhill.
Coral Square Mall in Coral Springs.
▪ All Cleveland Clinic Florida locations, including its Weston campus, have run out of vaccination appointments for now. Cleveland Clinic said it will resume scheduling appointments through its website for current patients once it gets more doses. To check for slots, visit https://my.clevelandclinic.org/landing/covid-19-vaccine/florida
Monroe County:
Florida Keys vaccine shipments are usually split between the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County and Publix.
The department has previously blamed the state for its “unanticipated lag” of vaccine deliveries, which put its plans to open a scheduling website or appointment hotline on hold.
So far, the doses the health department received prior to the delivery lag have been used to vaccinate healthcare workers and people 65 and older with special needs by appointment-only. People in long-term facilities and nursing homes in Monroe are also being vaccinated by CVS and Walgreens.
On Sunday, nursing students and staff at the College of the Florida Keys will administer 400 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at its Lower Keys campus by appointment only, based on a list provided to the college by the state health department. Those on the list include seniors 65 and older who called or came to the health department looking for the vaccine between the end of December to early January, said Alison Kerr, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Health in Monroe.
For other seniors in the general population, it’s still a waiting game on when they’ll be able to schedule their vaccination appointment.
However, you can try your luck Friday at the Publix stores in Islamorada and Key West. For availability, check publix.com/covid-vaccine/florida
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 7:04 AM with the headline "COVID vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Thursday, Feb. 4."
