MIAMI – The Jackson Health System in Miami will be one of the first recipients provided the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
A spokesperson for Jackson confirmed this to Local 10 Wednesday.
The first batch, in a limited supply, is expected to arrive mid-December.
The vaccine, which has been reported by the drugmaker as more than 90 percent effective, will be available to frontline healthcare workers, staff and residents at long-term care facilities, and first responders.
“We completed the proper registration to be eligible for participation in the Florida Shots Program. We expect to receive a limited supply of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in mid-December and are prepared with the proper storage to begin immediate distribution,” wrote spokesperson Lidia Amoretti in a statement emailed to Local 10 News. “We have purchased equipment, such as ultra-cold freezers, to ensure we have capacity to safely store the vaccine.”
Additionally, Memorial Healthcare System in Hollywood also confirmed to Local 10 that it would be one of the first in the state to receive a coronavirus vaccine.
“Memorial Healthcare System is prepared to receive and properly store the COVID-19 vaccines and will follow the guidance of the CDC to administer the vaccines,” spokesperson Kerting Baldwin told Local 10 News in an email. “The initial data and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines are encouraging, yet they are not the whole story. Equally as important as the vaccine is the practice of following safety guidelines: wearing a mask, practicing physical distance and washing hands often. According to the Florida Department of Health, Memorial is one of five healthcare systems throughout the state that will receive the vaccines in the coming weeks.”
While the vaccine brings hope, doctors warn that the medical advances are by no means a signal to let our guard down.
“I think that equally as important as the vaccine availability and our community, especially those at risk taking the vaccine, is to continue to be safe,” said Dr. Aharon Sareli, chief of critical care medicine for Memorial Healthcare System.