MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – Broward Health is making access to the COVID-19 vaccine available to even more patients with specific medical conditions.
Officials in the public hospital system announced on Friday that they will expand the vaccination criteria to include anyone aged 18 and over who falls under what they described as “increased risk groups”.
Patients with the following medical conditions will be allowed to make an appointment:
- asthma (moderate to severe)
- Cancer
- Cerebrovascular disease
- chronic kidney disease
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- cystic fibrosis
- Down’s syndrome
- heart diseases such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies
- hypertension or high blood pressure
- immunocompromised state due to blood or bone marrow transplantation, immunological deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids or use of debilitating drugs or solid organ transplantation
- liver disease
- neurological conditions such as dementia
- overweight or obesity (body mass ondex greater than 25)
- pregnancy
- pulmonary fibrosis
- sickle cell anemia
- smoke
- thalassemia
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
In another sign that the vaccine is launching at high speed throughout South Florida, all Publix pharmacies in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, almost 140 locations, will start offering the vaccine only by appointment, starting Monday.
Registration for Publix consultations started on Friday morning and was packed in two hours.
A supermarket chain spokesman said they would make appointments from 7 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, depending on the availability of the vaccine.
Supermarkets are joining a growing list of South Florida pharmacies offering the vaccine.
All Navarro discount pharmacies and CVS y más stories in Miami-Dade are currently offering injections for the elderly.
As part of an ongoing federal program, the Miami Dade College North campus will become a mass vaccination facility capable of delivering thousands of doses a day, starting on Wednesday.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that time is running out to get more vaccines.
“In the past few weeks, cases and hospitalizations in the United States have declined since the beginning of January, and deaths have declined in the past week, but the latest data suggests that these falls may be stopping,” she said, “potentially stabilizing at still a very high number. We at CDC consider this a very worrying change in the trajectory ”.
Applications for the appointment of the COVID-19 vaccine to Broward Health were made available on Friday afternoon, but have already been filled out and are currently suspended. The authorities encourage people to periodically check for updates.
To check the availability of schedules, click here.
Anyone with questions and concerns about the coronavirus can call the Florida Department of Health 24-hour hotline at 1-866-779-6121.
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