As a supply of the coronavirus vaccine has become available across Florida, residents are understandably anxious to know when they will be able to stand in line for a dose.
The state of Florida will lower their eligibility age starting Monday - while one South Florida county is going even lower with their requirements and creating a possible battle with the Governor's office.
More Vaccine News
Here's what we know today about the coronavirus outbreak in Florida, and the effort to stop it.
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FEMA Sites in Florida to Continue Administering First Dose Vaccinations
The four federally supported sites across Florida - including one in Miami - will be able to administer 500 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine per day from March 24th to April 7th.
The Florida Department of Health released a statement saying, "After evaluating current vaccine supply, the state determined that previously unused first doses from federal sites could be redistributed." These sites will only offer the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine April 7th to the 14th.
Jackson Health Joins in Expanding Eligibility for Vaccines
The hospital system based in Miami-Dade County is among those clarifying who can get the vaccine, including some teenagers with high risk conditions:
FEMA Sites to Begin Administering Vaccines to Florida Residents Ages 50 and Older
As of Monday, FEMA supported sites will be administering COVID-19 vaccines to Florida residents ages 50 and older.
Anyone that meets the age criteria may go to a FEMA supported site with a valid government-issued ID and receive the first dose of the COVID vaccine without an appointment.
For a complete list of vaccine locations, click on this link.
Miami-Dade Opening County-Run Sites to Ages 40 and Older This Month
Miami-Dade is lowering its eligibility requirements for COVID-19 vaccines at all county-run sites to 40 and older later this month, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Friday.
The three county sites will begin giving vaccinations to anyone 40 and older beginning on March 29. During a conference call Friday, Levine Cava said the county has administered around 575,000 vaccinations and vaccinated about 65% of people 65 and older.
The Miami-Dade county-run sites - at Homestead Sports Complex, Tropical Park and Zoo Miami, are appointment-only, drive-thru sites. To make an appointment, people can complete a pre-registration at miamidade.gov/vaccine or call 305-614-2014.
A Rapid COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Backfired in Some States
Despite the clamor to speed up the U.S. vaccination drive against COVID-19 and get the country back to normal, the first three months of the rollout suggest faster is not necessarily better.
A surprising new analysis found that states such as South Carolina, Florida and Missouri that raced ahead of others to offer the vaccine to ever-larger groups of people have vaccinated smaller shares of their population than those that moved more slowly and methodically, such as Hawaii and Connecticut.
The explanation, as experts see it, is that the rapid expansion of eligibility caused a surge in demand too big for some states to handle and led to serious disarray. Vaccine supplies proved insufficient or unpredictable, websites crashed and phone lines became jammed, spreading confusion, frustration and resignation among many people.
