People travel from around the state to get COVID-19 vaccine in South Florida

MIAMI ā€“ People made the trip from all over Florida Wednesday to get in line at the new COVID-19 vaccination site at Marlins Park in Miami.

People in line who spoke to Local 10 News came from places such as Naples and Boca Raton.

Many lined up around 5:30 a.m., anticipating long lines.

ā€œI wasnā€™t going to come because they said the lines were very, very long,ā€ one man said.

Some local hospitals are reporting a dwindling supply of the shots.

An internal email from Mercy Hospital obtained by Local 10 News says theyā€™re ā€œCurrently waiting on additional COVID-19 vaccinations from the stateā€ and ā€œpostponing all second dose vaccinations for community-based healthcare workers and first responders this week.ā€

They proceeded to say that they are committed to administering that second dose no later than six weeks after the first dose was administered -- an extension recently given approval by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management says second doses are already being scheduled at Hard Rock Stadium.

In Broward County, Mayor Steve Geller said they too have a lack of supply.

ā€œThe vaccine rollout is going very well and terrible, simultaneously,ā€ he said.

Commissioners voted to prioritize the vaccines they do have for qualifying Florida residents and long-term visitors.

ā€œA lot of people are coming from outside the area, other countries, other states,ā€ Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that the state will be receiving 307,000 doses next week -- about 40,000 more than the state has been getting weekly.


About the Authors:

Annaliese Garcia joined Local 10 News in January 2020. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism. She began her career at Univision. Before arriving at Local 10, she was with NBC2 (WBBH-TV) covering Southwest Florida. She's glad to be back in Miami!

Amanda Batchelor is the managing editor for Local10.com.