As Long Lines For COVID Testing Continue, Jackson Memorial & Memorial Regional Hospitals Expect To Receive COVID Vaccine By Mid-December
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – With COVID numbers on the uptick, there are long lines at testing sites throughout South Florida.
On Thursday, the average wait was 90 minutes at the drive-thru Hard Rock Stadium site in Miami Gardens.
While not acknowledging the Florida rising COVID numbers, Governor Ron DeSantis released a recorded message about the vaccine timeline.
Both Pfizer and Moderna will be applying to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use of their vaccines which have proven 95 percent effective in trials.
"By the end of December, pending FDA approval, there will be 40 million doses of the vaccine available," the governor said.
Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and Memorial Regional in Hollywood have announced they are expecting supplies of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in December.
In a statement to CBS4, Jackson Health System said it expects its supply of the vaccine in mid-December.
Jackson Health System also said it is prepared to begin immediate distribution after having already "purchased equipment, such as ultra-cold freezers, to ensure we have capacity to safely store the vaccine."
Jackson Health System said the vaccine will first be made available to "frontline healthcare workers in hospitals, long-term care staff and residents, and first responders."
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A spokesperson with Memorial Regional also said they expect to start receiving the vaccine sometime in December.
"Memorial Healthcare System is prepared to receive and properly store the COVID-19 vaccines and will follow the guidance of the CDC to administer the vaccines," a spokesperson for Memorial Regional said in a statement. "The initial data and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines are encouraging, yet they are not the whole story. Equally as important as the vaccine is the practice of following safety guidelines: wearing a mask, practicing physical distance and washing hands often. According to the Florida Department of Health, Memorial is one of five healthcare systems throughout the state that will receive the vaccines in the coming weeks."
A final analysis of the Phase 3 trial of the vaccine shows it was 95% effective in preventing infections, even in older adults, and caused no serious safety concerns, Pfizer said Wednesday.
The drug giant and its partner BioNTech are expected to ask the US on Friday to allow emergency use of their vaccine. The company will file paperwork for the emergency use of the vaccine with the US Food and Drug Administration.
Meantime in Florida, there were 7,925 new cases of COVID-19 statewide on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases to 905,248. Statewide, deaths rose by 88 to 17,949.
The daily positivity rate stands at 8.16% and the two-week positivity rate increased to 7.79%.
The governor says so far 2,000 long-term care facilities have applied to receive the vaccine for residents.