LAUDERHILL, Fla. – City and county leaders in Broward are beefing up their budgets, getting ready for more shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine.
They’re trying to get the manpower and infrastructure in place so cities can start getting the vaccine to their residents.
Lauderhill resident Walter Fletcher received a call Monday that really made his day.
“They called me this morning and said they were waiting for me to come in,” he said.
For a while now, Fletcher has been trying to get a COVID-19 vaccine but kept hitting dead ends.
“I tried on the phone, still did not get a response,” he said.
But in Lauderhill, where he lives, Fletcher managed to snag a spot at the new vaccination site, the latest to open in Broward County.
It is run and scheduled for Lauderhill residents only, the latest effort to make sure the vaccine is accessible to all.
Communities of color have been underserved in this roll out. Less than 5% of people vaccinated in Florida are Black.
Lauderhill’s supply is very small at the moment, but the city is running the show; renting tents, using firefighters, medics, even parks and rec folks to distribute the shots.
Currently, most cities in Broward County are fighting to snag their own supply of the COVID-19 vaccine to do the same.