When can I get a COVID vaccine in Florida? Do I have to? You have questions. We have answers
The roll-out of two vaccines to fight the novel coronavirus has led to cries of relief or skepticism. And, of course, lots of questions.
Who gets to be vaccinated? Can I go now? Do I have to ever take one? Can I throw away my masks and hug a stranger?
Here are answers to some of your questions.
Where in Miami-Dade can seniors book a vaccine?
▪ The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County has a website, miamidade.gov/vaccine, where it plans to post updates on where seniors, and eventually the rest of the general public, will be able to find and schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments.
At the moment, there are a handful of places offering vaccines, including Jackson and Mount Sinai hospitals, and Baptist Health and Hard Rock Stadium.
▪ Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach was booking appointments for people 75 and older and will eventually lower it to 65. For more information, call 305-674-2312. The hospital says you have to reside in Miami-Dade County.
▪ People 65 and older were able to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through Jackson Health System, Miami-Dade County’s public hospital network. The website to schedule appointments went live on Jan. 5 but quickly filled. The hospital said it will add more appointments.
▪ Baptist Health began booking appointments on Jan. 8 via its website at baptisthealth.net/vaccine/coronavirus. The vaccines start on Monday, Jan. 11, and will be given on the Kendall campus near the Hilton at 9100 Kendall Drive. But, as with other sites, slots quickly filled. Keep trying.
▪ Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens began accepting appointments on Jan. 8 to provide 1,000 shots per day for about a week until the site can get more doses via the federal government. To register, call 888-499-0840.
▪ Leon Medical Centers in Hialeah, Kendall and Miami (but not the Westchester location at this time) are also giving COVID-19 vaccines to seniors 65 and older in South Florida. Seniors who seek care with Leon 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.
Where in Broward can seniors book a vaccine?
The Florida Department of Health in Broward County has created a website to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments. As of Jan. 4, all of the appointment slots are full. To check if appointments are available, visit https://browardcovidvaccine.com/
The appointment-only vaccine sites are:
▪ Tradewinds Park, 3600 W Sample Rd., Coconut Creek — opened 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
▪ Vista View Park, 4001 SW 142nd Ave., Davie — opened 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
▪ Markham Park & Target Range, 16001 W State Road 84 in Sunrise will also be an appointment-only vaccination site. Its regular hours will be Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
▪ Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale is also in the process of transitioning from a test site to a vaccination site.
▪ Broward Health, the hospital network, has all of its vaccination appointments full through February and is no longer accepting appointments for now.
Where in the Keys can seniors book a vaccine?
The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County is in the “planning phase” of getting the vaccine to people 65 and older registered as special needs with Monroe County Emergency Management — meaning they need special assistance during emergency evacuations and times when storm shelters are open.
Eligibility requirements to register include being dependent on oxygen, having limited mobility, needing assistance with daily activities like being fed, taking medications and hygiene, having moderate dementia and/or cognitive impairment, being wheelchair bound and being in need of wound care and/or constant supervision.
Registration is available at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/148/Special-Needs-Registry.
Who gets the vaccine first?
Healthcare workers and residents at long-term care facilities in Florida. That’s because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention feel priority should be given to these groups.
Who gets the vaccine next?
On Sunday, Dec. 20, a CDC advisory panel recommended that older adults, ages 75 and older, and “frontline essential workers” including teachers, police and firefighters, and public transit and grocery store workers, should be in that second wave.
On Dec. 22, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared elderly Floridians will be next in line to get vaccinated for COVID-19, before essential workers and younger people with underlying health conditions. He wants to prioritize people 65 and over and did not agree with the CDC’s inclusion of essential workers or others of any age with underlying conditions getting the doses at the same time.
Florida has more than 3 million residents over the age of 70. DeSantis said hospitals and community sites will vaccinate them over the next six weeks, which would go into early February.
Then, adults with medical conditions that make them high risk for COVID-19 complications and those over 65 would move up.
Then, anyone 16 and older with medical conditions that make them high risk for COVID-19 complications. Then, the CDC recommends giving the vaccine to other essential workers including people who work in construction, media, the legal sector and water and waste management.
Some hospitals are giving the vaccine to seniors now. Do I have to live near them to make an appointment?
Yes, that has been the case at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, so far.
But not at Jackson Health System, Broward Health or Baptist Health.
I’m a snowbird. Can I get the vaccine in Florida or do I have to go home?
It’s Florida. The answer is currently complicated.
Many people — often retired and of senior age who would qualify as 65 and over and who the governor wants to prioritize for vaccination — have winter homes or rent for weeks or months in Florida’s warm climes. They have asked if they’ll be allowed to join the line for a shot. Or, if in Florida part-time, can they get the first dose here and the second there?
Jared Moskowitz, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, told the Miami Herald that no residency requirement has been issued by the state.
I’m younger than 65. I don’t work in a field called ‘essential’ or I’m unemployed. When can I get the vaccine?
For Florida’s general population, COVID-19 vaccines might become available in February, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
Why so long?
It could be even longer. While 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been purchased by the United States, the company has already said it can’t deliver additional doses of the vaccine until summer because other countries have bought most of the company’s supply, according to U.S. News. and World Report.
Will students and teachers be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine in South Florida?
At this time, no.
The vaccines are currently for those 16 and older (Pfizer) or 18 and up (Moderna). For high schoolers old enough to qualify, the choice to vaccinate at schools is up to their parents, according to Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe County public school districts.
The three districts told the Miami Herald on Christmas week that they don’t plan to make the vaccine a requirement for students, even when vaccines become readily available for children, possibly by next school year.
Fernando Zulueta, chief executive officer of Academica, one of the state’s largest operators of public charter schools, said no decision has been made about requiring students and staff to take the vaccine.
As for teachers and staff, Miami-Dade and Florida Keys’ school districts not requiring vaccines. Broward hasn’t decided yet.
Are there are other vaccines on the way?
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine was authorized for emergency use on Thursday, Dec. 17, by the Food and Drug Administration.
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, which would require a single dose, could also be reviewed by the FDA in January for emergency use authorization and AstraZeneca’s vaccine, Politico reports, could potentially file for emergency use later in February.
Note the distinction between “emergency use” and “approved.” These vaccines are going for emergency-use authorizations from the FDA that allows for them to be dispensed in a situation like a pandemic. This doesn’t mean they are approved by the FDA for routine use. Approval generally takes much longer — years, for instance.
Who can get Moderna in Florida, where and how?
Moderna’s vaccine is ready to be distributed, following the CDC guidelines of who goes first, second and so forth.
Hospitals expected to receive the Moderna vaccine include Baptist Health South Florida, University of Miami Health System, Broward Health Medical Center, Hialeah Hospital and Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. These Florida hospitals expecting to receive the Moderna vaccine were not part of the “Pfizer Five” that received the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine earlier in December, according to the state.
On Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 23, for instance, Broward Health Imperial Point in Fort Lauderdale began inoculating its frontline healthcare caregivers with the newly-received Moderna vaccine.
How are Pfizer and Moderna vaccines similar or different?
Moderna’s and Pfizer’s vaccines both require two doses given about a month apart. But the age requirements are different. Pfizer’s vaccine is authorized to be given to people 16 and older, while Moderna’s is recommended for those 18 and older.
Can you choose which one you want?
Not yet — but maybe when the general population is getting their doses. Until then you’ll have to take what the facility is providing. And if you started out with Pfizer or Moderna, you can’t interchange them. So if you got your first dose of Pfizer today, you can’t get Moderna on your second dose after, the CDC says.
Where are the mass vaccine sites in Florida?
Not fully determined yet. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens announced it would start taking appointments on Jan. 8.
Florida officials are looking into where else they would create mass vaccination sites, similar to COVID-19 testing sites. One site being considered for the spring is the University of Central Florida. Also, Florida International University would like to open a site near its Tamiami campus but that hasn’t happened yet.
Will your doctor have the vaccine?
Florida’s plan includes having routine healthcare providers and select hospitals offering patients the vaccine if they have to visit emergency departments, urgent-care centers and outpatient offices.
What about pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens, or groceries like Publix?
Walgreens and CVS, which are helping to distribute the novel coronavirus vaccine to long-term care facilities, say they will also have the COVID-19 vaccines at their pharmacies once supplies become more available in 2021. Other independent and chain pharmacies will also have vaccines available sometime soon in 2021, including Publix, Winn-Dixie, Fresco y Mas, Costco and Walmart.
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Publix began offering vaccines at 22 of its Florida pharmacies, about 15,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, in Citrus, Hernando and Marion counties. Not yet in South Florida.
Will you need to make an appointment at the pharmacies and grocery stores?
CVS and Walgreens say you will have to book an appointment.
Once a COVID-19 vaccine is broadly available, Walgreens said it will provide online scheduling options similar to how it schedules flu and other routine vaccinations. At CVS, you will book appointments through the CVS mobile app.
Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies are making preparations to receive the vaccines but haven’t been able to finalize details yet as vaccine availability will likely differ by state.
Publix is finalizing its distribution plan Costco declined to comment and Winn-Dixie did not respond to a Herald’s request for comment as of Dec. 29.
Will the vaccine cost money?
U.S. taxpayers’ dollars are paying for it, so far. So you shouldn’t have to open your wallet, with the possible exception of an administration fee.
“Vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given to the American people at no cost,” the CDC said. But the CDC also said that “vaccine providers can get this fee reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund.”
Do you still have to wear a mask, practice social distancing after vaccinated?
Yes, you still need to wear a mask, follow social distancing guidelines of six feet between you and others and wash your hands frequently even if you were vaccinated. Not everyone will be vaccinated. And more study needs to be done. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using “all the tools available” to fight the virus and that includes the vaccine and the other measures.
Mary Jo Trepka, an infectious disease epidemiologist and professor at Florida International University, said this is because the vaccine was tested for its ability to prevent symptomatic coronavirus cases. So it’s a possibility, she said, that you could still shed the virus through your nose if you were exposed to it.
“Experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide before deciding to change recommendations on steps everyone should take to slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19,” the CDC said.
Is it mandatory to get the vaccine?
Gov. DeSantis says he wants the choice to be optional in Florida.
How many doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines do I need?
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine requires you to get two shots, three weeks apart. As such, it works almost like the shingles vaccine, which requires two doses. But there is a much longer gap between shingles shots, about six months.
Moderna also requires two doses, a month apart.
Are there side effects to the vaccines?
You may experience some side effects, like headaches, muscle pain and fever with Pfiizer and Moderna. But it won’t give you the coronavirus.
“Keep in mind that these side effects indicate that your immune system is responding to the vaccine” and are common with vaccinations, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The speed with which the vaccines are arriving have some feeling skeptical. “This emergency situation warranted an emergency response. That does not mean the companies bypassed safety protocols or performed inadequate testing,” the Mayo Clinic said.
Severe allergic reactions, while rare, usually occur within a few minutes to one hour after getting a dose of the vaccine, according to the FDA. Severe allergic reactions can include difficulty breathing, swelling of your face and throat and a rash anywhere on your body.
Anyone who gets a severe allergic reaction should call 911 or go to the hospital and should not get the second dose, the FDA says.
How do I report side effects after getting the vaccine?
Tell your doctor. But also, the CDC and U.S. encourage the public to report possible side effects to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. This national system collects data to learn more about adverse events and what they are and how they manifest.
Healthcare providers are required to report certain adverse events following vaccination to this VAERS website.
The CDC is also adding a smartphone-based tool called v-safe to check-in on people’s health after they receive a COVID-19 vaccine. When you get yours, you should receive a v-safe information sheet telling you how to enroll in the program. If you enroll, you will receive regular text messages directing you to surveys where you can report any problems or adverse reactions you have after taking a COVID-19 vaccine.
Is the COVID vaccine more than 90% effective?
That sounds pretty good. But the answer is no. We don’t know how effective the injection is at stopping or killing the novel coronavirus. The vaccine has a 90% efficacy rate means that it worked 90% of the time in clinical trials. It will be awhile before scientists know the effective rate in the general population versus the efficacy rate they determined through 2020’s clinical trials.
Moderna’s newly authorized for emergency use vaccine had an efficacy rate of 94%, for instance, and was at that bar across age, gender, racial and ethnic groups among the clinical trial’s participants with underlying health conditions that increase their risks for severe COVID-19 cases.
I already had COVID-19 and recovered. Do I still need to be vaccinated?
Yes, you should still get the vaccine even if you’ve fought off the coronavirus, health experts suggest. Too soon to tell how long after infection someone is protected from getting the novel coronavirus and more studies are needed, according to the CDC.
I’m scared of needles. What can I do?
Fear of needles keeps many away from getting shots, so you’re not alone. There are tips on how to overcome fear of shots. You can start by telling your doctor, if they don’t already know, that you are scared of shots. Talking it through can help and they may be able to allay your fears.
According to Psycom, these mindful practices could also help:
▪ Practice deep breathing. This could help you to calm down.
▪ Try mindfulness and meditation.
▪ Remind yourself that it’s only a temporary discomfort. Tell yourself the old saying, “This too shall pass.”
▪ Distract yourself by thinking about something else you like, perhaps a favorite vacation spot.
▪ Don’t watch the injection. Turn your head.
Can you hug a stranger again?
Well, we certainly can’t advocate walking up to a stranger and invading their personal space with a hug when this COVID pandemic becomes a thing of the past and in history books like the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. But there will be a time when you can hug those who want to be embraced. And, like you, we can’t wait for the day.
This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 7:00 AM with the headline "When can I get a COVID vaccine in Florida? Do I have to? You have questions. We have answers."
