Miami Dade College North Campus Switches To Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A big change at one of Miami-Dade's biggest COVID-19 vaccination sites.
As of Tuesday, the FEMA-supported site is only administering the single-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine to those seeking their first dose.
"It will help streamline it and basically it gives us double the capacity because we are not accommodating second dose shots. We are able to do first dose shots, a one-time visit, and it helps cut down on the traffic and helps get more shots out there," said Mike Jachles, a spokesperson with the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
The site will have roughly 3,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine each day. On Tuesday morning, they expected to run through 3,000 doses by mid-day. The staff was able to secure additional doses of the J & J vaccine and expect it to last until the end of the day.
"As expected, Tuesday morning was a very busy morning," said Jachles, who added staff at the MDC site are administering about 700 shots an hour.
The MDC site will still offer the Pfizer vaccine, but only for people returning for their second dose. Staff recommends people seeking their second dose come to the site later in the day to avoid the morning rush.
As of Monday, people 18 and older can get the COVID-19 vaccine. People 16 and 17 years old are eligible to get the Pfizer vaccine only.
Those under 18 will not be able to get a shot at the Miami Dade College site because of the switch to the Johnson and Johnson vaccine for first doses.
Floridians can register for an appointment by calling: 866-201-6313, or 844-252-2003 for TTY users. Pre-registration can also be done by going to myvaccine.fl.gov. Once pre-registered, they'll be contacted when the vaccine is available in their area.
Vaccines are also available at these locations.