It’s Thursday, March 11th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Long lines of cars and pedestrians were once again stretching out of a COVID-19 vaccination site in Miami-Dade Wednesday morning after confusion over who was eligible to receive shots.
The federally supported site at Miami-Dade College's North Campus has been busy after it appeared to be offering shots to anyone who showed up Tuesday, breaking from the eligibility requirements set by Gov. Ron DeSantis that was intended to be put seniors at the head of the line. But at the site on Wednesday, state eligibility criteria were being enforced, staff members said. Shots were being given to people 65 and older, long-term care facility residents and staff, healthcare workers with direct patient contact, K-12 school employees 18 and older, and law enforcement and firefighters 50 and older.
No. 2 - Gov. Ron DeSantis said that after the state makes people 60 and older eligible for the COVID vaccine on Monday, it will soon lower the age to 55 and then probably open it up to the rest of the population.
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The governor said at a news conference in Sumterville that the process of vaccinating those between 60 and 64 may go quicker than expected because of the increase in the weekly supply the state is receiving. He said that each 5-year age group adds nearly 2 million people in population eligible for the vaccine. DeSantis has faced criticism because some vaccine sites have seen low demand that has prompted administrators to offer the shot to any takers, breaking at random times from the eligibility requirements and then going back to tighter restrictions when demand surges.
No. 3 - One year after shutting down campus amid the coronavirus pandemic, Broward County is planning to welcome students back full time starting next school year.
During a meeting of the county’s school board late Wednesday night, Superintendent Robert Runcie said the plan was to re-open campuses for all students for in-person learning in the fall. Runcie said the virtual learning that many students have been doing in the county could be an option if parents opt for it, but that would be handled on a case by case basis depending on state funding.
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No. 4 - With the vaccine rollout, there's been footage of the gentle jab on TV, but just the sight of a needle can make some people queasy or squeamish.
“I have a flipping fear of needles. I can’t with it," said Jhon Pulido, who has a fear of needles. The 26-year-old says he just can't deal when it comes to getting any type of injection. The fear of needles affects more people than you might think. According to an analysis by researchers at the University of Michigan, 20-30% of adults studied reported having a fear of needles. To hear why some say the fear is too much to get vaccinated, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Amanda Plasencia.
No. 5 - Low inventory and record-low mortgage rates have fueled demand for home sales in South Florida.
After three months on the house hunt, Alexandra Paulino is frustrated. She’s made offers on 16 homes and three of them went under contract, but she never made it to the closing table. Although a recent NerdWallet report found that first-time homebuyers in Miami can expect to see homes priced at 6.2 times their income, competition is fierce. But for many potential homebuyers like Paulino, it’s hard to have hope when cash offers are rampant. For more on this story, click here for a report from NBC 6’s Laura Rodriguez.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, South Florida will be dodging raindrops each morning to end the work week before temperatures start to rise. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
