Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava Gets First COVID Vaccine Dose

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava received her first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday morning.

"Honestly, I'm about to cry," she said. Mayor Levine Cava tested positive for COVID-19 in November and said she held off on getting the vaccine until roughly 90 days after transmission. "This whole year that has been so difficult for so many. This is our lifeline, this is our path back to living."

Mayor Levine Cava's first dose of the Pfizer vaccine was administered at Tropical Park on Wednesday by Will Hall, the branch director for Miami-Dade County's vaccine program.

"It means so much to me to feel that we are on that pathway for community-wide recovery," said Mayor Levine Cava, who added she's looking forward to spending time with her grandkids after her second dose in a few weeks.

On Tuesday, the Mayor announced that county-run vaccination sites would begin administering vaccines to all school employees from childcare to 12th grade and all law enforcement and firefighters, regardless of age.

But the Mayor is still pushing for eligibility expansion. Last week, she wrote a letter to Governor Ron Desantis urging him to come up with a schedule to let people know when it will be their turn to get the shot.

"I think starting with seniors was good, but it's clear that we are ready to open up now to so many other categories and ages," she said on Wednesday. "That's why I wrote the Governor and asked that he reduce the eligibility by 10 years every week." When asked about a response, Mayor Levine Cava said she has not heard back from Governor Desantis.

Also on Wednesday, the two FEMA-funded satellite sites in Miami Springs and North Miami Beach will close and move to two new locations starting Thursday. The sites with about 500 shots a day each will be open from March 18 to March 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Charles Hadley Park
1350 NW 50th St.
Miami, FL 33142

• South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center
10950 SW 211th St.
Cutler Bay, FL 33189