DAVIE, Fla. – One by one cars pulled into Vista View Park in Davie Sunday morning for their second round of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Inoculation stations across South Florida have been extremely busy over the weekend.
Both Broward and Miami-Dade began vaccinating eligible school employees, meaning those ages 65 and over, against the novel coronavirus.
‘We will continue to encourage our state and federal government to prioritize all our employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as a way to make our schools safer and address concerns about risks, so we can provide in person instruction to our students,” said Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie.
Markham Park in Sunrise was packed Saturday with teachers and school staff waiting to get a shot.
The school district partnered with the Department of Health in Broward County to make it happen.
Teachers and school staff were not the only ones receiving the first round of the vaccine this weekend.
Active veterans 65 and older in the Miami VA Healthcare System also started their vaccination process.
“The VA really looks after their own,” said veteran Bruce Gibson.
In Miami, city commissioner Joe Carollo was on hand for a mobile vaccination event for seniors at Vista Alegre Apartments.
“Seniors are the most vulnerable population,” Carollo said. “They are the most at-risk.”
As supply and access for the general public over 65 remains an issue, Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez appeared on This Week in South Florida to discuss it.
“This is a supply issue,” she said. “We are at the behest of the Federal Government. Each week we get informed what our (vaccine) allocation will be.”
On Sunday the Miami-Dade County branch of the NAACP called for a comprehensive and equitable approach to distributing the vaccine.
Black Americans have been some of the most impacted during the pandemic, and only make up about 6% of those have have been vaccinated in Miami-Dade County so far.
“As the oldest and boldest civil rights organization, that concerns us,” said Daniella Pierre, President of the Miami-Dade NAACP. “Health and access to health care is a fundamental right.”
Many are still waiting to get their first and second dose, and it’s not just access that’s an issue, it’s supply
And while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said a vaccine shortage should not affect those getting their second doses, it could limit the number of seniors getting their first.