COVID vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Friday, April 9
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?
▪ The Miami VA Healthcare System is offering Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to all veterans and their caregivers and spouses, and this includes widows and widowers. Walk-ins and appointments are available.
▪ Dr. B, the free website that matches COVID-19 vaccine providers with leftover doses to people who want one, is live in Florida, including in Miami-Dade and Broward. The website, in English and Spanish, acts like a nationwide virtual waiting list. People who sign up will be notified when a vaccine provider in their area has extra doses available. You’ll be asked if you can arrive by a set time and if so, to “claim the dose.”
▪ The U.S. will only be sending out about 785,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses next week, rather than the five million sent this week, USA Today reported. That’s an 85% drop, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The reason: the company had to discard 15 million doses at its Baltimore facility because the batch did not meet quality standards.
▪ Publix is moving all of its Moderna COVID-19 vaccine booking opportunities in Florida to Fridays only. The Lakeland-based grocery store chain’s online portal will no longer open on Mondays.
▪ Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced Thursday during a news conference at Port Miami that he is suing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in an effort to get cruises restarted immediately. Legal experts consider it a political stunt. Cruises in the U.S. have been banned since mid-March 2020 after COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths on multiple ships. Cruise companies are working to meet the CDC’s “conditional sail order,” a framework to get the industry restarted.
▪ Medical examiners on Thursday have determined that a Miami Beach doctor who died in December shortly after being vaccinated passed away from an immune disorder. Examiners noted it remains unclear whether his death was directly connected to the vaccine.
▪ For some children, after being more than a year in a COVID-19 bubble at home, returning to school in-person, eating at a restaurant or going outside can be challenging to navigate. Experts from the University of Miami have some tips to help ease your child’s anxiety. One of their recommendations is setting goals like having them meet one friend at a park instead of multiple friends indoor.
Who can get COVID-19 vaccines in Florida and who can’t? Do you need proof of residency?
People 16 and older can get Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in Florida. People 18 and older can get Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s 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.
Teens 16 and 17 will need to have a parent or legal guardian with them the day of their vaccination along with documents that show proof of their age, such as their birth certificate or a current passport. Requirements may differ by site. Families also need to fill out a screening and consent form.
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 Friday’s COVID-19 vaccine report, 400,847 people in Florida have completed the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine and 3,789,666 people have completed the two-dose series of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.
Of those who have been fully vaccinated, 543,351 were Miami-Dade residents, 368,306 were Broward residents, 323,249 were Palm Beach residents and 15,151 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. 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 Charles Hadley Park, 1350 NW 50th St. in Liberty City and at South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211th St. in Cutler Bay. Both sites are giving second Pfizer doses only and will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through April 13 (Cutler Bay’s won’t be open on Sunday, April 11) then the pop-ups end their run.
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 loanDepot park (formerly Marlins Park) in Little Havana.
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. 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. 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 has details on how to request an appointment at 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 and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital sometimes have vaccines in stock. You can check for appointments through your MyChart portal, https://mychart.mhs.net.
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.
▪ 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 9, 2021 at 7:57 AM with the headline "COVID vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Friday, April 9."
