MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - The Miami-Dade County Public Schools district is offering mobile COVID-19 vaccine clinics to help ensure students are fully vaccinated by the beginning of the school year.
7News cameras captured John Pandy as he brought his daughter to receive her vaccine at a University of Miami Health mobile pediatric clinic at Carol City Middle School, Friday.
“The school year is going to open back up, so I think everybody needs to be prepared and secure, safe, so I think it’s a good thing,” he said.
“Because if you don’t, then it’s more likely to spread, the COVID,” said Ta’Nyjah Venant, Pandy’s daughter.
Time is of the essence. Receiving the first dose by Monday will put a student in the window to be considered fully vaccinated by Aug. 23, the first day of school.
“For Pfizer and Moderna, we all know two shots are required, and there are three weeks in between the first and the second shot,” said M-DCPS Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. “Vaccines are all about public health, about the greater good, about protecting the well-being and the health of our children, as well as those who teach them today and will be teaching them next year.”
The timeline is even tighter for Broward public schools. Classes begin there on Aug. 18. Those receiving the first injection this week would only be considered fully vaccinated after school is underway.
White House officials said that nearly 20% of all new COVID-19 cases are coming from Florida.
“We could be on the verge of a new wave, but I hope that Miami-Dade as a community remains on the track that we’ve been,” said Carvalho.
In conjunction with UM Health, M-DCPS will have a series of mobile clinics available at various locations. They will also administer immunizations required by law for students to enter the school system.
The COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory for public school students in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
For more information about mobile vaccine clinic locations, click here.
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