NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Hundreds of people were up early to wait at the mass vaccination site at Miami-Dade College’s North Campus after word got around some people who do not meet the current criteria can get vaccinated.
Several people hoping to get vaccinated said they got to the FEMA-supported site as early as 3 a.m., Wednesday.
“I can’t speak about yesterday or the day before,” Mike Jachles, the chair of the Florida Association of Public Information Officers, said. “That’s not the case here moving forward at the Miami-Dade North College or the other sites that are FEMA-supported sites.”
The large crowd of people comes one day after people at the site told 7News they did not meet any of the qualifications to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but they were allowed to receive the shot nonetheless.
There has been no official change in requirements to get the vaccine, but word started to spread that people were getting through after no questions were being asked at the site.
They showed up, walked in and were asked to show their driver’s license and received their shot. They did not need a doctor’s note or need to meet the age requirement.
“Yesterday, through the social media, they spread it. That’s why you have all the people here,” said Felipe Espanol, who waited in line for the vaccine.
When asked what social media, Espanol said, “Instagram, Facebook, friends sending you links through WhatsApp. That’s what happened.”
On Wednesday, officials at the site were seen coming out and asking people in line if they are 65 and older or if they have the doctor-approved form to recommend vaccine eligibility. Those people were then taken out of the line and brought in to get vaccinated.
Signs have been posted around the area reminding those who are and are not eligible to receive the vaccine.
“I’m very thankful today,” said Joaquin Londano, who qualified for the vaccine. “You have to comply with this and this and this. If you don’t comply, there is a lot of people who have to go home empty-handed.
Cheryl London participated in the Johnson and Johnson vaccine trial back in November but was able to get her daughter Sabrina vaccinated at the site on Wednesday.
“I heard them telling people, ‘If you don’t qualify, you’re wasting your time,'” she said. “Luckily, we had her doctor’s paper because even though she’s in the chair, we had to have that form to show that she does qualify.”
Jennifer Taylor got vaccinated after driving from Fort Lauderdale to get to the site at 3 a.m.
“I got ahead of most everyone because I had my letter from my doctor,” she said after receiving the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. “I feel good now. I feel safe, a little safer. Now, I can go home and be around my grandkids, my grandbaby and feel safe for my family.”
Those who did not meet the requirements to get vaccinated were turned away on Wednesday and left the site angry and upset.
“I got here at 3 a.m. this morning, and then, I come to find out that I can’t get my shot,” said Scott Watson, who left the site without a vaccine. “My sister-in-law, 45 years old, got it and other friends got it yesterday and the days previous from what I understand, and now all of the sudden they’re shutting it down. They should let people know this. This is so unfair.”
“It’s not right because people yesterday got the vaccine,” said Espanol.
One man told 7News he stood in line for three hours before getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
“I’ve been waiting in line for two and a half hours and nobody said anything. Everyone thinks they’re getting it but there’s a lot of people here that aren’t getting it,” said one woman who asked not to be identified.
“Look, I’m crying. He’s been in line forever, so I just feel bad,” said another woman who left the site without a vaccine.
Traffic in the area was backed up for approximately nine blocks before it was diverted left at 119th Street to wrap back around to the site.
Mary, who waited all day to get a vaccine, was turned away on Wednesday for not meeting state and federal guidelines.
“Right now, they are requiring that? That’s not fair,” she said. “From 10 o’clock in the morning, I was in the line from 10 o’clock in the morning. This morning, I saw people walking, and I was asking the same people in the line, and they said, ‘No, no, they are not requiring nothing. Just come to get your shot.'”
State officials confirmed those who were not eligible to receive the vaccine but were inoculated will be allowed to receive a second dose. However, they need to bring their vaccine card as well as a Florida driver’s license.
Police said no overnight parking, staging on surrounding roadways or camping on sidewalks will be permitted because it poses a traffic hazard and creates a public safety concern. The gates to the parking lot will open two hours ahead of the site’s opening.
The Miami-Dade College North Campus mass vaccination site is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
For more information about vaccination sites in Florida, click here.
To check for vaccination appointment availability at Publix locations, click here.
Anyone with questions and concerns about the coronavirus can call the Florida Department of Health’s 24-hour hotline at 1-866-779-6121.
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