MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Baptist Health has vaccinated about 8,600 frontline healthcare workers and is allowing its employees to bring along one person to be vaccinated who meets the criteria to receive the vaccine (65 or older, or with CDC risk factors). The person must also live in the same household as the employee.
“Our first priority is to continue the administration of vaccinations, including the mandatory second dose, to our frontline workers to provide for their safety and strive to have the workforce we need to care for our patients,” a statement Wednesday from the health system read. “Simultaneously, based on vaccine availability, we are also making plans to offer the vaccine to eligible, high-risk members of the Baptist Health community, patients who meet criteria and also to the community at large in the coming days.”
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According to the statement, the health system has been reaching out to groups of people who are eligible to receive the vaccine, including:
- community physicians who may not have access to the vaccine
- staff who support medical practices and meet criteria to receive the vaccine
- employees who are 65 years old or above, or who have other extreme vulnerabilities, based on the CDC’s criteria
- Patients who are at high-risk for developing severe illness from COVID-19, such as patients with cancer at Miami Cancer Institute and Lynn Cancer Institute
- One person who meets the criteria to receive the vaccine (65 or older, or with CDC risk factors) and lives in the same household as an employee or medical staff member. Note: Our frontline healthcare personnel put members of their household at risk in order to care for our patients, and we hope to ease this burden by facilitating vaccines for these high-risk individuals.
A representative from Baptist Health said they will soon be announcing their plans to provide the vaccine to eligible members of the community at large.