Miami-Dade Homeless Trust Pushing To Get Homeless Seniors Vaccinated
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Three homeless seniors from Camillus House received their second COVID-19 vaccine shot on Friday.
Vaccinating homeless seniors is important because they are a very susceptible, high-risk part of the population.
The homeless seniors received their second vaccinations at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Nearly 320 homeless people have been vaccinated in Miami-Dade, about a tenth of the homeless population.
Janet Bristol was thrilled to get her booster.
"Everything went fine. I didn't really feel anything," she said. "I feel good. I'm pleased that I've done it."
Bristol told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that she hopes it will be a booster with benefits.
"I would like to be able to go out and go shopping and have fun," she said.
The Miami-Dade Homeless Trust is pushing to get even more homeless people vaccinated.
"We have 2,500 plus individuals in our shelter world. We've got another 892 unsheltered on our streets. We know that the homeless population, and in particular the senior citizen population, which we know to be our largest growing homeless population over the last three years in this community, we know that they are the most vulnerable in society. The average homeless person lives 13 to 17 fewer years than either you or I will live. So getting them vaccinated quickly is important," said Ron Book, Chairman of the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust.
It was a year ago when the Homeless Trust stepped up efforts for the homeless tied to the pandemic.
"We have had the most aggressive testing program in the country, and we have had just 75 hospitalizations and it's why we have had a 1.3 percent positivity rate. If we are going to maintain those individuals and mitigate the spread and stop the mutation process it's important to get 100 percent of our population vaccinated," said Book.
It's an ambitious plan but Book hopes the entire homeless population can be vaccinated by early Summer.
Book said any homeless person needing an inoculation should reach out to the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust.
