Florida vaccines may open to all in April, DeSantis says. For now, long lines and waits

With the vaccine supply in Florida increasing due to a pronounced push by the Biden administration, all Florida residents may be eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine by April, Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested Thursday.

In a press conference in Lake City in northern Florida, DeSantis said if vaccine deliveries from the federal government continue at their current levels or higher, the state could loosen the eligibility requirements of those who can get the vaccine.

“We could be in a situation to go down to 60 on Monday, we get to 55 relatively soon, and as the supply floodgates open, we could be in a position sometime in April where it’s just available and people can get it,” he said, as reported by the Associated Press.

Biden, in his first prime-time address to the nation on Thursday evening, announced his plan to make all adults vaccine-eligible by May 1.

On Monday, Desantis announced that any Floridian 60 and older will be eligible for a coronavirus vaccination starting Monday, March 15.

Meanwhile in South Florida, hundreds of residents are working with the current state criteria — which includes residents 65 and older, nurses, and some police officers, teachers and firefighters 50 and over — to find available spots as hundreds of non-eligible residents sit through hours-long waits for possible end-of-day leftovers.

While there are many vaccine sites that allow online appointments, it can often be a mad dash to secure appointments when the websites open up for a limited number of slots.

As such, many have turned to the three FEMA federal vaccine sites in Miami-Dade that allow for walk-up doses, no appointments needed. But the FEMA sites can bring long lines.

On Wednesday, FEMA’s three Miami-Dade sites gave out 3,674 shots, coming after a few days of about 5,000 daily administered vaccines, Mike Jachles, a public information officer who is working with FEMA, told the Miami Herald.

Miami Dade College North Campus administered 2,553 vaccines, Florida City dispensed 562 and Sweetwater administered 559. The Florida City and Sweetwater FEMA satellite sites moved Thursday to North Miami Beach and Miami Springs.

These two new sites will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 17, when they will return to Florida City and Sweetwater to give people their second doses..

Steady lines at North Miami Beach site

The North Miami Beach site already had a steady crowd on its first morning Thursday with about an hour-long wait at the Allen De Leonardo Youth Center, next to Allen Park just south of 163rd Street.

But by early afternoon, the line had largely abated, to about a half-hour wait. Many in line said they were from the area and drawn to the site because of the convenience of not having to make an appointment.

Others discovered the site on the Internet and swooped in. John Jaimovich, who drove down from Hollywood in Broward County, said he qualified because of a medical condition — his physician signed the Department of Health’s consent form free of charge.

Jaimovich, who wore a mask, gray bucket hat, and a face shield on a balmy afternoon, said he wanted to hit the North Miami Beach site on its first day to avoid the lines at the MDC North Campus, which he described as “jam packed.”

“The good thing about it here is that nobody knows about it yet,” Jaimovich said.

Over at FEMA’s second satellite site at the Miami Springs Community Center, 650 NW Fifth Ave., a sizable crowd amassed in lines for the vaccine. At one point in the day, at least 50 people we’re waiting their turn for the vaccine.

Reworked traffic patterns at MDC North

At MDC North, Miami-Dade police on Thursday reworked the traffic flow outside the federal vaccination site, at 11380 NW 27th Ave., after a hectic Wednesday.

Shortly after 11 a.m., 27th Avenue had no backup, but hundreds of cars were waiting in traffic lanes set up in the roads and parking lots that led to the tent compound vaccinating people.

People leaving the facility reported the entire process took between two and three hours, with most of that waiting for a parking space. No appointments are needed, and people arriving by foot were allowed to step directly into the line for vaccine registration.

Came from the Keys to get vaccine at MDC North

Rick and Judy Burkholder made the two-plus-hour drive from Ramrod Key in the Lower Keys for their turn at the federally funded site, where the state handles registration and the U.S. military administers doses. “I’m 73,” he said when asked about the drive. “It’s worth it.”

Their visit took about 2.5 hours, mostly waiting in the car. They noted people 65 and over were being steered to a shorter line in the facility.

They opted for the two-shot Pfizer vaccine, and plan a return to a more familiar retirement life once fully vaccinated. “Hopefully we can see the kids,” she said. “It will be a normal summer.”

Jachles said Florida’s eligibility rules are being strictly enforced at MDC after scattered reports of no-age restrictions from prior days. He urged people who don’t meet Florida’s eligibility rules to stay home and not risk a long wait to be turned away.

“The last thing we want is for people to waste a trip,” he said. “It complicates the wait time for everybody else.”

On Saturday, FEMA’s Florida City site gave vaccines to anyone who was a Florida resident and was 18 and over. Staff had deviated from the state rules to get the vaccine to as many people as possible.

This started a domino effect at other sites, including MDC North.

These state-run sites financially supported by FEMA are part of a pilot program between Florida and the federal government to increase the number of minority and low-income people receiving vaccinations, which started March 3.

More than 75,000 residents have received shots in Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa, but in Jacksonville, for instance, only 19% of residents who received a vaccine reported their race as Black.

As of Thursday in Miami-Dade, about 70% of people vaccinated across all sites identified as white, and about 53% said their ethnicity was Hispanic, according to DOH data. About 7 percent identified as Black, according to the data.

Apart from FEMA sites, hospitals and pharmacies, temporary sites with smaller doses do occasionally pop up in the county. On Friday, Miami-Dade Commissioner Kionne McGhee and Community Health of South Florida will be one of these sites.

The walk-up-only event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Naranja Park, 14150 SW 264th St. Residents must wear a face mask and only 100 vaccines will be given out.

First responders and teachers are eligible to get vaccinated, as well as residents age 50 and older with a doctor’s note that highlights qualified underlying health issues.

This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 9:28 PM.

Devoun Cetoute

Miami Herald

305-376-2026

Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.