Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Wednesday morning at the Kings Point active adult living community in Delray Beach to highlight how the state and counties throughout Florida will be prioritizing seniors to receive either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
“The Palm Beach County Health Department will administer vaccines to 300 residents of Kings Point, all of whom are age 65 and older,” DeSantis said.
The governor said by next week, seniors 65 and up across the state will be able to receive the vaccine through their county health department, and some hospitals will also be administering the vaccine.
“Each county health department will be offering the vaccine in ways that best suit the needs of that particular community. So some county health departments will deploy teams to senior communities, like we see here in Palm Beach County,” he said.
To make an appointment in Palm Beach County, call 561-625-5180.
The Florida Department of Health in Broward County announced Wednesday that seniors can already make an appointment to receive the vaccine by visiting https://browardcovidvaccine.com or calling 954-467-4700. The website, however, crashed as many seniors tried to book appointments.
“Due to the overwhelming demand for COVID-19 vaccination, the Florida Department of Health in Broward County registration site is experiencing problems,” a statement from the health department read. “Please rest assured that we are working to fix these issues as quickly as possible to serve the community. When the website is fixed, if you find that appointments are not available, please check back often as we are increasing the number of vaccination sites for Seniors in Broward County in the coming weeks.”
Vaccinations will be available at no cost and by appointment only beginning Sunday, Jan. 3.
(Information in video below about where vaccines are being offered)
Below is a list of the drive-through vaccination sites being offered in Broward County:
Tradewinds Park
3600 W. Sample Road, Coconut Creek
Hours: Sunday-Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Site Opens: Sunday, Jan. 3.
Vista View Park
4001 SW 142nd Ave., Davie.
Hours: Sunday-Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Site opens: Sunday, Jan. 3.
Markham Park
16001 W. State Road 84, Sunrise.
Hours: Sunday-Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Site opens: Tuesday, Jan. 5.
“We are excited about the opportunity to begin vaccinating our senior population, who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, as we continue to work every day to protect our community during this pandemic,” said Dr. Paula Thaqi, Director of the Florida Department of Health in Broward County.
Thaqi released a statement later on Wednesday, apologizing for the issues on the website to make appointments.
“We are sorry that the registration system did not work as we intended and this will be resolved soon,” she said. “We recognize that our Senior Community is anxious to receive the vaccine. Please know that this is just the beginning of COVID-19 vaccination opportunities. As the local supply of vaccine increases, DOH-Broward along with our partners, are ready to vaccinate individuals ages 65 and older as well as additional priority groups as they are identified.”
In Fort Lauderdale, Holiday Park will convert from a COVID-19 testing site to a vaccination site early next week.
Additional sites are expected to open as the vaccine supply increases.
Those who receive the first dose of the vaccine will need to be in Broward County to receive the second dose of the vaccine 21 days later.
The Cleveland Clinic Florida region will also be scheduling appointments for seniors 65 and up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Wednesday.
Other individuals who also qualify to receive the vaccine at Cleveland Clinic include:
- Cleveland Clinic patients with certain high-risk medical conditions at risk of severe illness from COVID-19. This includes patients with obesity, cancer, COPD, chronic kidney disease, immunocompromised state, heart conditions, sickle cell disease, pregnancy and Type 2 diabetes
- Hospitalized patients who meet criteria and are being discharged from the hospital
- Community health care providers and first responders.
Vaccinations will be by appointment only. To make an appointment at Cleveland Clinic locations in Broward, Palm Beach and Indian River counties, call 954-659-5950.
Broward Health has also been offering COVID-19 vaccines to members of the community, however, they announced Wednesday that they have reached capacity for vaccinations through February and are not currently taking any more appointments.
The health system hopes to resume scheduling new appointments in the coming weeks.
In Miami-Dade County, Mount Sinai is scheduling appointments for members of the community who are 75 or older, as well as first responders.
Individuals who fit the criteria can schedule an appointment by calling Mount Sinai at 305-674-2312 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
The appointment line will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Mount Sinai is currently administering about 500 vaccines per day.
The Jackson Health System is also administering doses to current Jackson patients, prioritizing those 75-plus, but expanding beyond that will depend when more doses become available.