Miami Beach will give some seniors COVID-19 vaccines at home using limited supply

Martin Vassolo

The city of Miami Beach plans to begin administering COVID-19 vaccines to some seniors living in affordable housing or who are confined to their homes.

Miami Beach Fire Rescue, which received 600 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, is expected to begin on-site vaccinations Wednesday at the Council Towers North senior affordable housing building.

“We also plan to administer an extremely limited number of vaccines to homebound seniors today to pilot the capacity of rolling out a broader program,” City Manager Raul Aguila said in a statement.

COVID vaccine live updates: What you should know in South Florida on Wednesday, Jan. 6

Aguila did not say how many doses will be administered today. Mayor Dan Gelber said the city’s limited supply will serve to vaccinate 300 seniors total.

The city has not yet released a timeline for when the rest of the doses will be administered or how interested seniors can schedule appointments.

The fire department received the vaccine doses Tuesday from the Florida Department of Health and will use an industrial freezer to store the 60 vials of the vaccine.

Miami Beach Fire Rescue will store its supply of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in an industrial freezer.
Miami Beach Fire Rescue will store its supply of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in an industrial freezer.

Since Dec. 29, the city has transported more than 127 seniors to Mount Sinai Medical Center to get vaccinated.

Gelber said the city is “incredibly anxious” to begin homebound vaccinations for seniors.

“It’s an important group because a lot of them might have more difficulty getting to the hospital,” he said.

Miami-Dade County seniors interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine should contact Mount Sinai or the Jackson Health System. There is more information available on the county’s dedicated vaccine website, miamidade.gov/vaccine.

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