MIAMI – Kim Waters-Koons says two of her staff members at Dade Physical Therapy were told they could not get the COVID-19 vaccine at Marlins Park this week, despite the state scheduling line booking appointments for them.
“The first employee arrived at Marlins Park on Wednesday morning and was turned away and told they were not vaccinating healthcare workers at that facility,” she said.
Supervisors at the Marlins Park site told Local 10 News that the state’s division of emergency management told them only healthcare workers in contact with coronavirus patients could get the shot. Friday, the health department clarified to us that’s not the case, reiterating the language in the governor’s order that all those working directly with patients are eligible.
“Of course the therapists are directly touching the patients,” Waters-Koons said of her staff. “A lot of them are surgical patients.”
On Friday, she says someone from the Marlins Park site reached out to see about rescheduling their shots but told Waters-Koons they would still have to check if her front desk staff is eligible.
“We’ve been open since the pandemic started,” Waters-Koons said. “We have never missed a day. We are here to serve the patients.”
We are awaiting word from the state on whether those office employees who come into contact with patients at healthcare facilities are eligible to get vaccines from the state at this time.