Mass COVID Vaccination Site Coming To Miami Dade College North Campus, 3 Other Locations Across State
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Four new mass COVID vaccination sites are coming soon to the state, including one at the north campus of Miami Dade College.
The sites will be a partnership between the state and the federal government.
US Congresswoman Frederica Wilson said the MDC site is desperately needed as Black people have tested positive for the virus at twice the rate of whites and the vaccination rate is equally dismal. The numbers are particularly dire in Miami-Dade County communities like Opa-Locka, for example, where 53 percent of the population is black and living in poverty and the vaccination rate is the lowest in the state.
"This is a win-win for district 24," she told CBS4 on Friday.
"We will be able to reach the Black community and the Hispanic community which is so important," she said.
"I am proud of my work with the administration to set up a site in the heart of my district, which will make the vaccine more accessible and convenient to receive for the people who need it the most," said Wilson in a statement.
President Biden has said he's committed to creating sites that can responsibly handle large volumes of people seeking vaccines and to increase access to low-income and minority communities.
"They will be doing walk-up appointments so you will be able to drive up and park. Or you can take a bus to the campus and walk over to the vaccination site," said Miami-Dade college North Campus President Fermin Vazquez.
The three other mass vaccination sites will be in Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. These sites will open on March 3 and will operate daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
These sites will come with their own allotment of vaccine, above what the state is normally allocated.
Each site will administer 2,000 vaccines per day. Additionally, each site will have two smaller, mobile satellite sites that will conduct 500 vaccinations per day in underserved areas. Through this hub and spoke model, each site will offer 3,000 vaccinations per day.
The state will utilize the current preregistration system and work with local community organizations to proactively schedule appointments.
To preregister with the statewide system, individuals can either call the designated phone number for their county or visit myvaccine.fl.gov.
The north campus site is scheduled to start on March 3rd.
