Florida opens more COVID-19 vaccine sites

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – South Florida — as well as the rest of the state — is getting more locations where residents can walk up to receive COVID-19 vaccines without an appointment.

Recently opened state-supported sites in Broward and Miami-Dade include ones at the Miami Beach Convention Center and Inter Miami’s stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

See the tweet below for more details on six South Florida locations:

The state also announced a number of mobile vaccination events across Florida on Wednesday:

Because the state-supported sites are frequently changing, visit floridadisaster.org/Vaccine for the latest full list.

PortMiami pop-up

Another pop-up vaccination site opened only for Wednesday at PortMiami. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said it’s the first of many the county is planning in areas where many people gather — places like malls and even Miami International Airport.

“No arms left behind,” Levine Cava said is her new motto.

She said Wednesday’s pop-up site was planned because many employees at the port haven’t been able to get their shots.

“People that are working at the port, maybe they have a 10-minute break, 15-minute break,” said port director Juan Kuryla. “And they work kind of crazy hours, so it’s difficult to make an appointment outside of the regular business schedule.”

But the site isn’t just for port employees. It’s open until 4 p.m. Wednesday, and appointments are not needed.

Nomi Health partnered with the county to operate the site, offering both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Those who received the shots will have a chance to receive their second dose on-site in the coming weeks.

Levine Cava said the county is trying to make it easier for people to get access to vaccines.

“Malls, universities, major worksites,” she said. “Everywhere that there are people gathered, we want to eliminate barriers.”

The mayor said the next county pop-up site is likely to happen at Miami International Airport in May.

According to the latest numbers from the state’s health department released Tuesday, 53.9% of Miami-Dade County’s population eligible for a vaccine has received at least one shot and 35.3% are fully vaccinated. Broward is 41% through at least one shot and 33.7% complete. In Monroe, those percentages are at 52.6% and 35%, respectively.

As a reminder, you don’t need to be a full-time resident to get a vaccine in the state. See our story from Tuesday for more details on how part-time residents or those on work visas can prove their eligibility.

As far as cruising from PortMiami, Levine Cava said several cruise lines are speaking to the CDC and that we can expect cruises to be back up and running this summer.

FOR INFO ON OTHER VACCINE SITES...

How to get coronavirus vaccines in Miami-Dade County

Where are the Broward County COVID-19 vaccination sites?