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Did You Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine At A FEMA-Supported Site in South Florida? There Are Some Changes

A couple of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines at the Miami Dade College North Campus, a FEMA-supported site for COVID-19 vaccinations.
Verónica Zaragovia
/
WLRN News
A couple of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines at the Miami Dade College North Campus, a FEMA-supported site for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Earlier this week, Greg Dean of North Miami, a part-time employee of the City of Miami, decided that day he'd no longer be putting off getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

He went for his first Pfizer shot at a FEMA-supported site in Miami-Dade County and he brought his three nieces for their shots, too. Later, his wife joined him for hers. The process took about ten minutes, then he waited 15 minutes to make sure he felt well before heading out.

"I would recommend that you come, even if it’s not here, somewhere, so that we together can help beat this coronavirus," Dean said. "It's better to be guarded against it than to need it and not have it. I was hesitant myself but I decided let me go and get this shot."

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The only FEMA site that has first Pfizer vaccines this week is at Miami Dade College's North Campus — through April 7. The site has about 500 shots a day and, while it's open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., they generally run out early in the morning. On March 25, the 500 shots were all claimed by 8:05 a.m.

If you’re due for your second Pfizer shot, you need to go to a satellite site. Those are at the Ronselli Park Youth Center in Sweetwater at 250 SW 114th Ave., and Florida City Youth Activity Center at 650 NW Fifth Ave., through March. The sites are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through March 31 and booster vaccines are administered without appointments.

You will need to show your CDC vaccination card and a state-issued ID like a driver’s license to get your second shot.

Shortly after Dean, Michelle Clark got her shot. Clark used to work in a hospital and she came with her sister, Angela Clark, who currently works at a hospital and after going over some concerns with her doctor, got her COVID-19 vaccine, too.

"Get the vaccine so you could be protected, and when you get around the people who took the vaccine, it’s a love there," Michelle Clark said.

The minimum age to get a vaccination for Florida residents is still 50 years old. On Monday, March 29, that drops to 40 and on April 5 the state of Florida will open appointments to all adults.

Verónica Zaragovia was born in Cali, Colombia, and grew up in South Florida. She’s been a lifelong WLRN listener and is proud to cover health care, as well as Surfside and Miami Beach politics for the station. Contact Verónica at vzaragovia@wlrnnews.org
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