Biden says he will hit his COVID-19 vaccine goal 42 days early
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the U.S. is ahead of schedule on the COVID-19 vaccine campaign, as he will reach his 100 million-doses goal on Friday. Biden also said he needs all Americans to do their part: Wash hands, socially distance, wear face masks, and vaccinate. He ordered states to allow all adults to be eligible for the vaccine by May 1st. “Grandparents can hug their grandchildren again.”The Biden administration plans to send 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Mexico and Canada as a loan, according to White House Press secretary Jen Psaki. The World Health Organization authorized its use.
Changes announced Friday for COVID-19 vaccines makes getting a shot easier for some
NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – One of the newest groups eligible in Florida to receive a COVID-19 vaccine are those 18 or older deemed by a physician to have a high-risk medical condition. Ron DeSantis expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility in Florida last Friday signing an executive order that allowed doctors the authority to be able to determine who is extremely vulnerable to COVID-19. On Friday, there was a steady flow of people all day at the FEMA site at Miami-Dade College’s North Campus. Even with expanded eligibility (rules in previous tweet in thread 👇) the federal vaccination site has yet to hit its daily dose capacity. As of 4 p.m. on Friday, however, officials at the large FEMA site said that they had only distributed a little more than half of their 3,000 doses.
Long lines greet seniors with appointments to Florida’s first drive-thru vaccination location
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Miami-Dade County leaders are urging calm and patience as Florida picks up its pace in expanding vaccine access to seniors. Sky 10 was overhead at the Hard Rock Stadium where, for the first time, seniors who secured an appointment for a shot were able to receive doses. Hard Rock Stadium is the first state-run, drive-thru, appointment-only location to open in Florida. We don’t have the resources to accommodate them,” said Mike Jachles, chair of the Florida Association of Public Information Officers, who was at the Hard Rock site on Friday. Hard Rock Stadium has 1,000 appointments available per day over the next 7 days with additional appointments dependent on additional vaccine allocated by the government.
Florida getting 179,400 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, so how many are going where?
MIAMI, Fla. – While shipments of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine are making their way to South Florida, the doses that are arriving will only going to a small fraction of the population. Florida is in line to receive 179,400 doses, which will go to five Florida hospital systems, including Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami-Dade County and Memorial Regional Hospital in Broward County. “Where a number of 179,400 sounds like a tremendous amount of vaccine, that’s actually very little compared to our population,” Marty said. 60,450 doses of vaccine will be sent to CVS and Walgreens pharmacies for use in long-term care facilities. 21,450 doses of vaccine will go directly to the Florida Department of Health.
Where will Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine go when it gets to South Florida?
MIAMI, Fla. – South Florida should be getting the very first doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine early next week. Florida is expected to receive 179,400 doses of the vaccine, which will go to five Florida hospital systems, including Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami-Dade County and Memorial West in Broward county. Some of the doses arriving at Jackson Memorial will then continue on to 13 other hospitals in Miami-Dade County. The nation’s first COVID-19 vaccine will begin arriving in states Monday, U.S. officials said Saturday. Florida’s confirmed coronavirus cases are over 1 million and 19,785 residents have died, according to the Florida Department of Health.