FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – For the first time since the pandemic began, some of South Florida’s most vulnerable residents began receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, hours before a new Broward County holiday curfew came into effect. .
On Thursday, Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach began administering the vaccine to seniors aged 75 and over, marking the first time that members of the general public have access to the drug.
Patients can make an appointment to get the vaccine if they are part of the Mount Sinai Network.
Hospital officials said they had a limited supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Mount Sinai became one of the first hospitals in Florida to make the COVID-19 vaccine available to the general public.
“We are very excited about this moment,” said Mount Sinai Medical Center COO Angel Pallin.
An executive order from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis followed these same lines.
“For the general population, once nurses, doctors and long-term care institutions are ready, it is to vaccinate people aged 65 and over,” said DeSantis.
“We will also work with first aid here in the city of Miami Beach and we will also offer these people,” said Pallin.
For now, the governor appears to be avoiding the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
to include vaccinating essential workers such as teachers.
“Frontline employees succeeded, Jackson started vaccinating nursing home residents, so we have an end in sight,” said Jackson Health ICU medical director Dr. Andrew Pastewski. “We have the skill through proper detachment, staying at home, wearing masks to cross this finish line in a race instead of limping to another 100,000 deaths. I just don’t think we’re going to do that, and that’s very frustrating. “
Pastweski said the hospital is now experiencing the third increase in patients with COVID-19.
The latest figures, he said, are directly related to the way people celebrated Thanksgiving.
“With the next vacation, we are very scared of what we are about to see,” he said. “Just last week, we saw the number of patients needing isolation double, from about 30 to 60, and all of this directly related to Thanksgiving.”
The Miami-Dade County curfew was postponed to 1 am on Christmas, allowing families to attend midnight mass and celebrate Nochebuena.
In Broward, a holiday curfew scheduled to last until January 4 is scheduled to take effect Friday morning. The curfew runs from midnight to 5 am, but, as is the case with Miami-Dade, it is set to start at 1 am on Friday and New Year’s Eve.
7News cameras captured passersby strolling along Las Olas Boulevard on Thursday night.
“Ultimately, you want to have all the controls necessary to control the pandemic,” said one man.
“I think if you just stick to the rules – wear a mask, social distance – everything will be fine,” said another man.
The Florida Department of Health reported more than 13,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, with 121 additional deaths and a positive rate of almost 8%.
The test sites saw a holiday run before most closed at noon on Thursday. Many plan to reopen on Saturday, but health experts plan that it may take weeks before they know how extensive the magnitude of the sudden increase at Christmas can be.
“When you see people without masks and going to parties, it’s frustrating for us, because we’re dying too and we don’t want to,” said Pastewski.
Pastewski said people should hope now that vaccines are being launched, but that they must overcome COVID’s fatigue.
“Having a vaccine available, having two and maybe even three so quickly, is a medical miracle,” he said. “I understand that it will take a while to reach the population. I hope the population is smart enough to support it. “
The United Teachers of Dade sounded different after DeSantis made his decision about who would receive the next doses of the vaccine.
They issued a statement that read in part: “We are disappointed by Governor DeSantis’ decision not to include school officials, especially our veteran educators, as part of this second round of vaccines, as recommended by the CDC.”
United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernandez-Mats also said: “If the intention is to keep schools open so that students can benefit from face-to-face learning in a safe environment, the governor should have heard the CDC’s recommendation and made us a priority. “
Those who qualify for the COVID-19 vaccine can make an appointment at Mount Sinai Medical Center by calling 305-674-2312. The service is open from 8 am to 5 pm, from Monday to Friday, and from 8 am to 1 pm, on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information click here.
Although most COVID-19 test sites are scheduled to reopen on Saturday, their opening hours vary. For more information click here.
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