As a limited 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.
Two sites run by FEMA will be moving to new locations starting Thursday while the state could be welcoming more people to get their doses in a matter of days.
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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FIU Medical Students Collaborate With South Florida Hospitals to Vaccinate Black Community
Medical students and doctors from the FIU College of Medicine are collaborating with Miami-Dade County and the South Miami Children's Clinic to vaccinate the Black community.
"There is growing evidence that some minority groups, especially the Black community, are being disproportionately affected by COVID-19," a press release said.
On Saturday, members of the med school will take part in a pop-up vaccination event in South Miami, helping with operations.
State to Receive 42,000 Doses of J&J Vaccine Next Week
The state of Florida is slated to receive 42,000 doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine by next week.
Gov. Ron DeSantis made the announcement during a Friday news conference, following previous news that the vaccine would be out-of-stock "for the forseeable future."
DeSantis added that the new allotment is far less than what the state initially received, but the state hopes to receive more shipments in the coming weeks.
Two Miami-Dade FEMA Vaccination Sites Relocate Starting Thursday
From Thursday, March 18th to Tuesday, March 23rd these sites will now relocate to the following locations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.:
- Charles Hadley Park at 1350 NW 50th Street
- South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center at 10950 SW 211th Street
Officials have not said if they will stay at these sites or move again next week.
DeSantis Says Florida Could Lower Vaccine Eligibility Age by End of March, Discusses Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Out of Stock
Gov. Ron DeSantis said that the vaccine eligibility age could be lowered to 55 in Florida "some time in March."
Speaking at a vaccination site in Palm Harbor, DeSantis said that the demand for vaccine doses had begun to "teeter out" among the 65+ age group.
The governor also noted that there is no more stock of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine coming to Florida "for the foreseeable future."
COVID-19 Vaccines Recommended for Autoimmune Patients
Millions of Americans suffer from chronic autoimmune diseases, which could make them more vulnerable to the coronavirus. While antibodies protect healthy people when they get infected, their bodies do the opposite.
While the data is limited, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) found these patients appear to have a higher risk of a serious coronavirus infection.
But the American College of Rheumatology recommends these patients get the COVID-19 vaccine saying the benefit “outweighs the potential risk” of “flare or the disease worsening.” For more on their efforts, click here for the story from NBC 6 Responds investigator Myriam Maishy.
