Pop-up vaccine sites are now in North Miami Beach and Miami Springs. How to get a shot
Federal pop-up vaccination sites opened Thursday in North Miami Beach and Miami Springs.
The sites at Allen Park Community Center at 1770 NE 162nd St. in North Miami Beach and at the Miami Springs Community Center at 1401 Westward Dr. will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 17.
The pop-ups were previously at Ronselli Park Youth Center, 250 SW 114th Ave. in Sweetwater, and the Florida City Youth Activity Center, 650 NW Fifth Ave. The pop-ups will return to those locations when it’s time for people who got the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine to receive their second injection, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Why are these federal sites moving?
The “satellite” sites are pop-ups and will relocate every three to seven days in other underserved parts of the county, according to the division. They can administer up to 500 vaccines each day as walk-up sites, which means you’ll wait standing in line instead of waiting in your car. Appointments are not needed.
The other FEMA site in South Florida is at Miami Dade College’s north campus near Opa-locka.
Which COVID-19 vaccines do FEMA sites administer? Who can get a shot?
MDC North and the two “satellite” sites usually offer the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which requires two doses, 21 days apart. The one you get will depend on supply.
If you receive the Pfizer vaccine in North Miami Beach and Miami Springs, FEMA will return to the location in three weeks to administer the second dose.
The sites are supposed to follow Florida’s vaccine criteria. However, staff at Florida City and MDC North locations pivoted away from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ orders and offered vaccinations to everyone at least once in the past few days. Both sites later reverted to state guidelines.
FEMA sites will give vaccines to seniors 65 and older, healthcare workers with direct patient contact, law enforcement and firefighters ages 50 and older, and people with high-risk medical conditions deemed by a physician to be “extremely vulnerable” to COVID-19. Pre-k-12th grade teachers and school personnel and child-care workers 18 and older can also get the vaccine.
The FEMA sites are part of a pilot program between Florida and the federal government to address the problems of racial and economic disparities in vaccinations. While the program has helped more than 75,000 people get a shot, it might not be reaching the people it was designed to help.
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 10:21 AM.
