MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami Dade College’s North Campus is now home to a massive vaccination site run by the state and supported by FEMA.
A trial run took place before its grand opening Wednesday.
More than 2,000 doses will be administered there per day, 500 of which will be the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The site is one of the first in the country to offer the single-dose shot.
“So if someone comes up and says, ‘I prefer Johnson & Johnson,’ we have a ticket system of 500 a day that allows you to get a ticket and once we run out up front, that is it for Johnson & Johnson for the day,” said Bruce Roberts, with the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
FEMA is fully funding the temporary site, which will be open for eight weeks.
“This is a federally-supported site. This is one of 18. We are happy to announce that it will be opening and running today -- one of four in the state of Florida,” FEMA spokesman Daniel Llargues said.
The U.S. Army is prepared to administer 2,500 Pfizer doses and 500 Johnson & Johnson doses daily.
Once patients arrive, they navigate through a series of air conditioned white tents.
There are two tents where you can register, one tent where you wait for your shot, one tent where you get your shot and one tent where you wait to see if you have an allergic reaction.
The site is open everyday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and appointments are not required.
FEMA is also supporting two satellite hub vaccination sites. They are located in Sweetwater at Ronseli Park (250 Southwest 114th Avenue) and in Florida City at the Youth Activity Center (650 Northwest 5th Avenue). Both are offering 500 doses daily and are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week.
Walk-ups are welcomed at all three sites, or people can pre-register at MyVaccine.FL.gov.
Meanwhile, the Jackson Health System will now be giving shots to even more people, following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest executive order.
“(The) Jackson Health System has vaccinated over 97,000 members of the community,” Jackson Health System CEO Carlos Migoya said.
Those now eligible for the vaccine are people 50 or older who are sworn law enforcement officers, firefighters and K-12 school personnel.
All must show a badge or department/school ID to receive the vaccine.
Anyone 50 or older with an underlying condition and proof from a doctor is also now eligible.
“Signed doctor’s note on the physician’s letterhead or prescription pad,” Migoya said.
DeSantis said the state is also considering vaccination pods to streamline the process for law enforcement officials.
“We’ll look at places like Broward, Palm Beach, Brevard,” he said this week.
Starting Wednesday, the Florida Department of Health in Broward County is closing T.Y. Park to the public and converting it to a vaccination site specifically for police officers, firefighters and Broward school employees who are 50 or older.
In honor of those who have died after being diagnosed with COVID-19, the governor has ordered that flags across the state be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday.
“We must remember all those lost so that we may move forward to ensure a brighter future for all Floridians,” the governor wrote in a memorandum to the director of Real Estate Development and Management.
RELATED LINKS:
Here’s the form to prove COVID-19 vulnerability to get a shot in Florida