COVID vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Monday, April 5
▪ ▪ COVID-19 vaccine rules can be confusing in South Florida. Here’s the latest news on where shots are available and who is eligible:
What’s new today?
▪ Miami-Dade County plans to move buses and Metrorail stations closer to a pre-pandemic routine this summer by lifting the suspension of passenger fares on June 1.
▪ Florida’s Department of Health on Monday announced 3,480 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The state also announced 36 new resident deaths.
▪ One of the country’s largest food festivals thought it had devised a smart approach to keeping guests safe during its upcoming event: Require a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination. But Florida’s governor may have just complicated the South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s plan for 2021.
▪ Miami-Dade County’s midnight curfew will be lifted the night of April 12, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced Monday, marking the imminent end of a measure intended to curb the spread of COVID-19 that has survived legal challenges and rankled business owners since its implementation last summer.
▪ Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings will require all passengers and crew to be vaccinated against COVID-19 when U.S. cruises restart, becoming the first of the three largest cruise companies to mandate inoculations for all on board.
▪ Florida teens and young adults ages 16 to 21 can now schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.
▪ Florida’s vaccination age criteria dropped from 40 to 18 on Monday, with some vaccination sites also eligible to give doses to teens who are 16 and 17.
▪ Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson? We’ve created a guide that separates locations by vaccines.
▪ Monday is your last chance to get the first dose Pfizer shot at the FEMA-supported Miami Dade College North campus vaccination site. Starting Tuesday, April 6, the site will switch to second-dose Pfizer and the single-dose J&J only.
▪ Hialeah’s pop-up vaccine site at Babcock Park has had its run extended by one day. The site was originally set to close Sunday. Now, it will be open Monday, April 5 until it runs out of Pfizer doses.
Who can get COVID-19 vaccines in Florida and who can’t? Do you need proof of residency?
Floida’s vaccination age criteria on Monday dropped from 40 to 16 for Pfizer’s vaccine and 18 for Moderna and Johnson’s & Johnson vaccine.
Only Florida residents and snowbirds can get the vaccine, but there is no county residency requirement in place. That means that 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 such as 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. Nonresidents who have already received the first dose 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 vaccine, the Moderna vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can be found on FDA.gov.
How many people have received the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida?
According to Monday’s COVID-19 vaccine report, 273,169 people in Florida have completed the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine and 3,413,011 people have completed the two-dose series of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.
Of those who have been fully vaccinated, 808,345 were Miami-Dade residents, 565,645 were Broward residents, 465,615 were Palm Beach residents and 25,374 were Monroe residents.
What COVID-19 vaccines are available in Florida? How many doses do I need?
Florida has three vaccines available: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
The Pfizer 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. Johnson & Johnson’s is a single dose and can be given to people 18 and older.
The Pfizer and Moderna 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?
Pharmacies:
The following pharmacies offer COVID-19 vaccines in select stores by appointment-only:
▪ Publix stores in Florida offer vaccines. To check for a slot, visit publix.com/covid-vaccine/florida.
▪ Navarro Discount Pharmacies and CVS y más stores in Miami-Dade. Some traditional CVS stores across Florida also have doses. To check for availability, visit CVS.com or call customer service at 800-746-7287.
▪ Some Winn-Dixie and Fresco y Más stores offer vaccines in South Florida. For Winn-Dixie, visit winndixie.com/pharmacy/covid-vaccine. For Fresco y Mas, visit frescoymas.com/pharmacy/covid-vaccine.
▪ Some Walmart and Sam’s Club stores offer vaccines, including in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. To schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment at Walmart, visit walmart.com/COVIDvaccine. For Sam’s Clubs, visit samsclub.com/covid.
▪ Some Walgreens stores offer vaccines. To check for availability visit https://www.walgreens.com/topic/promotion/covid-vaccine.jsp
Federally supported site in Miami-Dade
▪ Miami Dade College North campus is the first federally supported vaccination site to open in South Florida. Appointments are not required and walk-ins are welcome. The site is open every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is a walk-up, which means people wait in line instead of in their car.
Anyone who lives in Florida and is at least 18 can get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at MDC North beginning Tuesday. The site will no longer offer the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Those who have already gotten their first dose of Pfizer will still be able to get their second shot at MDC North.
The FEMA pop-up sites are 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. through April 7 and appointments are not needed. The pop-ups are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and are only offering second dose Pfizer shots.
MDC North will stop offering first dose Pfizer shots and only offer second doses of the Pfizer vaccine and the single dose J&J shot starting Tuesday, April 6.
Preregister for an appointment in Miami-Dade and Broward counties
You can preregister for an appointment in Florida through a statewide website and phone system.
The 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 preregisters for a vaccine appointment will be notified once they’re eligible and a slot becomes available at state-supported or federally supported vaccination sites in their county, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which is tasked with the state’s vaccine distribution.
Many of the state-run sites offer Pfizer, which means people 16 and older are eligible for a shot. Once you get an appointment, you will need to show proof that you are a Florida resident.
State-run sites in Miami-Dade County include Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and Marlins Park in Miami.
State-run sites in Broward County include Snyder Park in Fort Lauderdale, Coral Square Mall in Coral Springs, Markham Park in Sunrise, Tree Tops Park in Davie, Trade Winds Park in Coconut Creek and Central Regional Park in Lauderhill, TY Park in Hollywood and Pompano City Centre in Pompano Beach.
Remember, teens 16 and 17-years-old will need to have a parent or legal guardian with them the day of their vaccination and have the state’s COVID-19 vaccine screening and consent form. The form can be downloaded at floridahealthcovid19.gov.
Hospitals and other COVID-19 vaccination sites in Miami-Dade, Broward
Miami-Dade County:
The county has a website, miamidade.gov/vaccine, where it posts updates on where people can find and schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments.
County-run sites include Zoo Miami, Tropical Park and the Homestead Sports Complex. The sites sometimes carry Pfizer and other times the sites have Moderna in stock.
You can preregister for an appointment through the online portal or by calling 305-614-2014. Once an appointment becomes available, you will be contacted.
Here are other places that have vaccines. Some locations may be vaccinating specific groups from Florida’s priority list so check the location’s website for details.
▪ The City of Opa-locka COVID-19 vaccine site is at the Helen Miller Center, 2331 NW 143rd St.. The site is open every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Appointments are not required but pre-registration is recommended. To pre-register, visit Commvax.patientportalfl.com.
▪ Bucky Dent Park, 2250 W. 60th St., in Hialeah. Anyone who meets Florida’s vaccine criteria can get a shot here. No appointments are needed. You will wait standing in line, instead of in your car. The site is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or until supplies run out.
▪ Hialeah residents who are unable to leave their homes can call 305-863-2955 to schedule a homebound vaccination.
▪ Overtown Youth Center, 1551 NW First Ave, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.. The state-run site does not require appointments. You will wait standing in line, instead of in your car. You must fall into one of Florida’s priority groups to get the vaccine.
▪ Oak Grove Park, 690 NE 159th St. is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The state-run site does not require appointments. You will wait standing in line, instead of in your car. You must fall into one of Florida’s priority groups to get the vaccine.
▪ Homebound seniors can email their name and phone number to HomeboundVaccine@em.myflorida.com and someone will get back to you about setting up an appointment. You can also call 866-779-6121 to schedule an appointment.
▪ Jackson Health System, the county’s public hospital network. To check for available appointments, visit https://jhsmiami.org/comvac/.
▪ Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach schedules appointments online. To check for updates, visit msmc.com/coronavirus-update/
▪ Baptist Health is one of the county’s largest private hospitals. To check for updates, visit Baptisthealth.net/vaccine.
▪ Seniors 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.
▪ Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is offering vaccines to young adults ages 16 to 21 who are being treated for certain high-risk medical conditions. To check for slots, visit Nicklauschildrens.org/Covid19Vaccine.
▪ All veterans in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties who are patients of the Miami VA Healthcare System can get the COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of age and medical condition. You must be enrolled and eligible for VA healthcare benefits. Some of the sites require appointments, other locations accept walk-ins. Veterans who want to make an appointment can call 305-575-7000 or contact their care team. To learn more, visit https://www.miami.va.gov/services/covid-19-vaccines.asp
Broward County:
▪ Holy Cross Health in Fort Lauderdale is offering COVID-19 vaccines to teens 16-and-17 years old who have certain medical conditions that make them at risk for severe COVID complications. Priority will be given to Holy Cross Medical Group patients, the hospital said. For details on how to request an appointment, visit www.holy-cross.com/covidvaccine.
▪ Broward Health, to check for appointments, visit https://www.browardhealth.org/pages/being-healthy-vaccine
▪ Fort Lauderdale’s Inter Miami CF Stadium is a COVID-19 vaccination site. Appointments for this site are also booked through BrowardHealth.org
▪ Memorial Healthcare System ran out of COVID-19 vaccines. 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.
Certain high-risk 16- and 17-year-old patients at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital may also be eligible for the vaccine. Appointments can be scheduled through their MyChart account.
▪ All Cleveland Clinic Florida locations, including its Weston campus, schedule appointments for patient who have seen a Cleveland Clinic Florida provider in the last two years for outpatient or inpatient care. For eligibility criteria and how to check for appointments, visit https://my.clevelandclinic.org/landing/covid-19-vaccine/florida
COVID-19 vaccines in Monroe County?
More places are offering the COVID-19 vaccine in the Florida Keys.
Eligible Florida residents can now get vaccinated at Winn-Dixie stores in Key West and Tavernier, and at all Publix stores along the island chain. Appointments are required.
For Winn-Dixie, check https://www.winndixie.com/pharmacy/covid-vaccine. For Publix, check https://www.publix.com/covid-vaccine/florida.
This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 9:14 AM with the headline "COVID vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Monday, April 5."
