On this Monday, April 5, episode of Sundial:
COVID-19 Vaccine Access
Three million Americans are getting COVID-19 vaccines a day as the federal government continues to ramp up supply. On Monday, Florida opened vaccine eligibility to those 16 and older.
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More than six and a half million have already received their first dose in the Sunshine State. Brooke Whitley is a Miami resident and among those who received the Pfizer shot.
“My feelings going into that first appointment were just great relief. Being vaccinated means so much to me ... getting the vaccine was really what I saw as the beginning of the end,” she told WLRN.
However, many Floridians are still struggling to book appointments or have faced problems for not having health insurance.
“I think it's still a bit confusing because there's so many pop up sites that are opening up every day. And unfortunately, that leaves out a lot of people who don't use Twitter,” said WLRN health care reporter Verónica Zaragovia.
Zaragovia made it clear that health insurance is not a requirement for a COVID-19 vaccine although pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens or Publix may ask for proof of insurance.
COVID Liability
As of Monday afternoon, 33,710 people have lost their lives to COVID-19 in Florida. Thousands more family members are continuing to grieve and struggle with the repercussions of losing their loved ones.
For many it remains unclear whether the hospitals, nursing homes or grocery stores where they were working or were being treated could’ve done more to protect them. Under a new state law, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, it will be very difficult for these businesses to be held criminally liable.
Michael Ryan is an attorney with the consumer justice law firm Freedland Harwin Valori Ryan and the mayor of Sunrise in Broward County.
“This is a law that's very broad and complex, but fundamentally, there are going to be thousands of families who are going to be denied the opportunity to hold anyone accountable for the wrongs committed against their family members,” he said on Sundial. “This new law is very strict in what types of cases can be brought and the standard that a family will have to prove is extraordinarily high and difficult.”
M-DCPS Teacher of the Year
Teresa Murphy teaches at Spanish Lake Elementary in Miami-Dade County and has been working in the school system for 27 years. On top of the challenges presented by COVID-19, Murphy was faced with her own personal health problems.
“The 3 Cs, COVID, cancer and chemo, I call it,” she said on Sundial. “I was diagnosed in the summer with breast cancer and it rocked my world. It was very unexpected. It was right before the school year was going to begin.”
Murphy hid her diagnosis from her students in the first four months of the school year and continued teaching despite a rigorous chemotherapy treatment. Back in February she was granted the honor of being Miami-Dade County Public Schools' Teacher of the Year for 2020. Murphy is continuing to teach despite the health challenges she faced.
