MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The COVID-19 vaccine rollout continued across South Florida as more shots were administered on Saturday.
Miami-Dade Police were called out to help direct traffic at Miami’s Tropical Park after long lines caused major backups near the site in Southwest Miami Dade.
All over Miami-Dade County, access to the vaccine for those over 65 is expanding, but so is demand.
The county’s Mayor Daniella Levine Cava put out a tweet that urged seniors to be patient as site staff work as fast as they can to get hundreds of shots in the arms of seniors.
Vaccination for hundreds of seniors 65+ is underway at Tropical Park right now. If you have a scheduled appointment and are in line, you will receive your vaccine today. We are grateful for your patience as we work to get vaccines distributed as quickly as possible. pic.twitter.com/BgmFIJkI8O
— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) January 9, 2021
Baptist Health South Florida booked thousands of appointments moments after launching its online appointment portal and is now pumping the brakes on scheduling more.
At Hard Rock Stadium, there will be a limited amount for the next week, about 1,000 per day.
But anyone who shows up without an appointment will be turned away.
In Broward County, more lines and more waiting.
Senior citizens in Lauderhill told Local 10 News to get their appointments they had to navigate crashing websites and practice patience.
Like in Miami-Dade, several drive-up locations are opening to the public in Broward, but supplies are limited.
Broward County Mayor Steve Geller said he is estimating that it could be 6 to 8 weeks to have all Broward County seniors vaccinated, but he stressed “if, and only if, we have enough vaccines coming in.”
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