FEMA site at MDC North was moving to second doses only. That’s been postponed
Days after announcing the plan to wrap up operations at four Florida mega vaccine sites, state and federal officials on Monday morning reversed course, announcing that the sites in Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville would continue administering first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The reversal came on the same day Vice President Kamala Harris flew to the Jacksonville site, which is jointly operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state of Florida, and commented on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ lowering of the minimum age requirement to those 50 and over.
“That’s a good thing,” Harris said. “And we’re going to be here visiting a vaccination site, saying, ‘Look, everybody who — when it’s your turn, go and get vaccinated.’ ”
The federally supported site at Miami Dade College North Campus will continue to offer first-dose Pfizer shots this week instead of pivoting to second doses only, as was announced last week. FEMA has been partnering with the state of Florida in operating the four mega sites, which can vaccinate thousands of people per day.
Though the main hub at MDC will keep vaccinating new people, the spin-off sites in Miami-Dade will pivot to second doses only.That means pop-up sites that are returning Wednesday to Ronselli Park Youth Center, 250 SW 114th Ave. in Sweetwater, and Florida City Youth Activity Center, 650 NW Fifth Ave., will offer only second-dose Pfizer shots.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management, which is tasked with the state’s vaccine distribution, announced the changes in a news release Monday. The same rules will also apply to the FEMA-supported sites in Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville.
“After evaluating current vaccine supply, the state determined that previously unused first doses from federal sites could be redistributed to continue administering first dose shots for March 24-April 7,” the division said.
Each site will offer 500 Pfizer first-dose shots per day to eligible people.
The change is good news for people 50 and older who became eligible for the vaccine Monday and are trying to snag a shot at MDC North. They now have more time to get their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the site, which does not require appointments and walk-ins are welcome.
MDC North will stop offering first dose Pfizer shots and only offer second doses of the Pfizer vaccine from April 7 to April 14, according to the division. As for the pop-up sites moving across Miami-Dade, only second doses will be administered between Wednesday and April 14.
For people who already received their first Pfizer dose at MDC North or one of the FEMA pop-up sites and are just waiting for their second, this change should not affect them. They will need to return to one of the FEMA sites to get a second shot.
For the last two weeks of FEMA site operations, April 14-28, the state is planning to offer the one dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which has been in short supply.
Ruhi Ahmed, who drove down to the MDC North site from Palm Beach County on Monday, said it was the first day she qualified for the shot with the statewide age minimum lowered to 50.
Ahmed’s husband is high-risk, she said, and though he has already been vaccinated, both of them getting vaccinated meant that their son, 11, could finally return to in-person classes at school. The family had kept strictly isolated since the pandemic began, Ahmed said.
“It’s been really tough for him,” Ahmed said. “He hasn’t seen his friends for over a year now.”
After receiving her first dose, Ahmed sat in the plastic chair in a large FEMA tent and described how she was feeling.
“Just calm,” she said. “I’m glad I got it.”
Miami Herald Staff Writer Bianca Padro Ocasio contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 2:25 PM.
