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MIAMI (WSVN) - All frontline workers at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami who signed up to receive Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine have been inoculated, according to a hospital spokesperson.
One week after the first shots of the vaccine were distributed, Jackson Health System, Miami’s public hospital network, confirmed Tuesday that nearly 5,200 employees received their first dose.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shed light on the state’s next steps regarding vaccine rollout. Seniors over 70 years old will be prioritized in the next round of vaccinations and not essential workers, even pushing back on preliminary proposals from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“If you’re in the elderly population, this is coming soon,” DeSantis said. “I just understand what that would mean if you’re a 22-year-old working in a food services, say at a supermarket, you would have preference over a 74-year-old grandmother. I don’t think that is the direction we want to go, so let me just be very, very clear: our vaccines are going to be targeted for our elderly population.”
The governor said 127,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 367,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine are on the way and will be distributed across the state.
The Florida Department of Health on Tuesday reported more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases statewide, with over 2,300 cases in Miami-Dade County alone.
Long lines could also be seen at the Hard Rock Stadium site in Miami Gardens, where some people waited up to three hours to be tested ahead of the holidays. Meanwhile, Fort Lauderdale’s Holiday Park testing site was forced to sporadically close due to the high demand.
Lauderhill Fire Rescue posted a photo on Tuesday, as firefighters across the county began receiving the vaccine at Central Broward Regional Park.
Five employees at the Miami VA Healthcare System flexed their muscles after receiving their vaccine shots.
Also, as part of the state pilot program, 29 residents and 40 staff members at Memorial Manor in Pembroke Pines received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. FDOH, paramedics and the National Guard helped administer the vaccines at the skilled nursing facility.
DeSantis said for the next phase of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the state will use hospitals and community sites to vaccinate those 70 years old and over.
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