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HIALEAH, Fla. – The atmosphere was jovial at a clubhouse for seniors in Hialeah where dozens waited for their turn to receive their first dose. Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez said he understood why they were so happy.
“You have got to remember these people have been confined for a year,” he said, adding the city needs more vaccines.
Hialeah, a city where the majority of the population is foreign-born, received about 1,000 new doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
In Miami, Commissioner Jeffrey Watson has been working with Black churches to expand the distribution network and to combat the deep mistrust of the vaccines. There was a vaccine distribution event at the Mount Calvary Baptist Church.
Dr. Aldo Calvo, the medical director of ambulatory services at Broward Health, said efforts like these are important.
“We know healthcare disparities have existed in the U.S. for quite some time,” Calvo said.
Broward Health is also working with community partners to kick-off pop-up vaccination sites in underserved communities in Broward County.