Limited Supply Of COVID-19 Vaccine Puts Damper On Distribution Efforts Across South Florida
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- A new COVID-19 vaccination site is now open for the weekend at Zoo Miami.
Vaccines will be administered to those 65 and older and you must have an appointment. However, the Miami-Dade County Director of Emergency Management says the site does not have enough vaccines to continue giving out vaccinations past Sunday.
The limited supply of the vaccine is putting a damper on vaccine distribution efforts across South Florida, not only at the Zoo Miami site but also Tropical Park.
Shutting those sites down would be a big disappointment to many people who are looking forward to getting their first dose of the vaccine.
At Tropical Park on Friday, members of the National Guard are helping to keep people in line, as they await their first inoculation of the Moderna vaccine.
Watch CBS4' Jessica Vallejo's report:
"It was great," said Eduardo Hoya who received the vaccine. "Now I am waiting for the second one."
Marlen Dajer as well.
"I'm very happy. I feel so good about getting this vaccine. I am excited. This is the best thing we have," she said. "We need it. We have to do it. Everyone has to do it. It's the only way out of this pandemic."
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Unfortunately, Miami-Dade County officials say the vaccination sites at Tropical Park and Zoo Miami could shut down next week because of a slowdown in federal vaccine supplies.
The state of Florida will receive 170,000 doses next week, of which 22,000 will go to Miami-Dade County to be split among Hard Rock Stadium, Marlins Park, and three Jackson Health System sites.
"We desperately need more vaccine. We shouldn't feel like this is survivor island for people," said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber.
"We have to vaccinate tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people in the community. Of course, I am worried. It's not just that we don't have enough, it's not getting here fast enough," said Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
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Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava says the county needs more vaccines from the state to continue operating next week. She plans to ask Gov. Ron DeSantis to send three to four times the amount the county is currently receiving.
"They need to have the vaccine to get back to normal. The production and distribution are going too slowly to meet demand," she said.
Levine Cava said that all seniors who have received their first dose will receive their second and final vaccination.
"People are worried about appointments. They are going to be contacted for their appointments," she said.
It's not clear what will happen to people's appointments if the sites at Tropical Park and Zoo Miami do shut down for a while.
So far 85,000 people have been vaccinated in Miami-Dade.
At Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami City Commission Joe Carollo, who is also a senior, received his first inoculation on Friday.
"I didn't want to roll the dice anymore and I wanted to do what was responsible to protect me and my family," said Carollo. "What I saw here today was a site running smoothly. They deal with thousands of people."
Carollo also announced that the new Marlins park site would open on Monday and said the City of Miami is stepping up its efforts in a new plan.
"We are going to send paramedics to the largest senior citizen housing developments and give them shots directly," he said.
On Friday, DeSantis said Florida leads the nation in vaccinating seniors, with more than half a million having been vaccinated so far, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the vaccinations in the state.
