North Campus To Serve As County’s First Federal COVID-19 Vaccination Site
By Adriana Dos Santos and Jose Tovar
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced today that North Campus will serve as Miami-Dade County’s first federal mass vaccination site.
The campus will be one of four federal sites open in Florida. Locations at the Tampa Greyhound Track, Valencia College in Orlando and Gateway Mall in Jacksonville will be the others.
They will open on March 3 and operate by appointment only, seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“This site is important because it highlights the relationships and the partnerships that we have had at North Campus with the community through crises and through many different emergencies,” said North Campus Interim President Fermin Vazquez.
Miami Dade College’s site will be located at Northwest 27th Avenue and 110th Street on the southeast corner of the school. It will administer 2,000 vaccines a day. An additional 1,000 doses will be administered between two “smaller, mobile satellite sites,” according to DeSantis’ press release.
According to Miami-Dade County’s latest report, about 4,700 first doses of the vaccine have been administered per day in the county during the past two weeks.
The locations were selected to increase access to the vaccine for low-income and minority communities. Opa-Locka, which is located just north of the campus, has the lowest vaccination rate in Florida.
“[It] will make the vaccine more accessible and convenient to receive for the people who need it the most,” U.S. Representative Frederica Wilson said in a statement.
Currently, only healthcare workers, long-term care facility residents and staff, and people 65 and older can receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
This is not Miami Dade College’s first effort to help with the coronavirus pandemic.
North Campus had already been serving as a vaccination site for the county for several weeks. The College also made it possible for its employees who are 65 and older to get the COVID-19 vaccine via appointment through Jackson Health System.
In addition, the Kendall and North campuses have been serving as free COVID-19 testing sites since Jan. 20 thanks to an agreement with Curative, an organization that provides tests to produce data for health officials. Students, employees and the general public can get tested at the sites by appointment.
“MDC is very proud to be chosen as a committed partner in helping our community and the entire country reach normalcy during this global pandemic,” said MDC President Madeline Pumariega. “This latest designation speaks to the important role the College plays in this community and the nation and our ability to effectively serve as a community resource during times of crisis.”
To pre-register for a vaccine, contact (888) 499-0840 or visit myvaccine.fl.gov.
