MIAMI (WSVN) - Federally-supported vaccination sites are on schedule to start giving out second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as a local hospital gets ready to mark a milestone of its own.
Jackson Memorial Hospital will host a ceremony at 10 a.m. on Friday to honor frontline workers one year since the first COVID-19 patient was admitted there.
The hospital has set up thousands of blue and white flags at its Alamo Park. The 5,360 blue flags represent survivors while the 977 white flags represent those who did not survive the virus at Jackson Health’s three hospitals.
New changes are also coming to vaccination sites. Officials said that on either Tuesday or Wednesday, Miami Dade College’s North Campus and all other FEMA sites will switch to second doses only.
“If you need a vaccine and you meet the criteria, do not wait,” said Florida Department of Emergency Management spokesperson Mike Jachles. “Come out and get the vaccine, because by midweek next week, we will transition to second vaccines only.”
Those who received their first shot of the vaccine at one of the FEMA sites that shut down have other options.
“When you’re due for your second vaccine, provided you had your first Pfizer vaccine at a FEMA-supported site, we will open those sites again for second vaccines, so on your 21st day, those sites will be open,” said Jachles. “That’s Florida City and Sweetwater. That’ll happen for a week, and then it will transition to North Miami Beach and Miami Springs. The third week of the rotation will be where we are today.”
The two new sites opened at Charles Hadley Park in Miami and at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center in Cutler Bay on Thursday.
Officials said by 3 p.m., they administered more than 665 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in Cutler Bay and more than 300 shots at Charles Hadley Park.
Both sites will offer the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine until Tuesday, officials said.
“I was kind of skeptical about coming, but, you know, I see what’s going on. I think it’s time,” said James Willis who received his vaccine.
“Getting the vaccine would definitely help move forward,” said Amanda Dewitt while waiting to get the vaccine.
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