FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - From Fort Lauderdale to Southwest Miami-Dade, this weekend has brought more long lines at local COVID-19 vaccination sites, as seniors 65 and older waited to receive their shots.
Saturday’s distributions come as officials in Miami-Dade County are scrambling to secure more supplies.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez addressed those concerns at a news conference held Friday.
“Of course I’m worried. It’s not just that we don’t have enough. It’s that we’re not getting it fast enough,” said Suarez.
“We’re telling the governor we want three times or four times the amount of vaccine that we’re getting,” said Levine Cava.
At Holiday Park things ran smoother on Saturday following overflow problems on Friday. The park was giving vaccines to anybody 65 or older without an appointment, causing the site to overflow with people showing up to get the shot.
“We got turned down. We waited, we came back, and we are so grateful to be here. Oh, my goodness, are we grateful,” said a woman.
At Zoo Miami, vaccine doses were administered by appointment only.
“I just got my vaccine, the first one,” said a woman.
Miami-Dade is offering 1,000 shots through Sunday.
However, with the high volume of vaccine needs not meeting the demand, Levine Cava, along with Miami-Dade County Commission Chair Audrey Edmonson, sent a letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis asking for more.
“We do not have the vaccine for the demand,” said Levine Cava.
Levine Cava and Jackson Health System announced the opening of appointment slots on Saturday. Those slots were filled up within minutes.
For more information about making an appointment at Miami-Dade vaccination sites, click here. For sites in Broward, 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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