Florida already vaccinates adolescents: all over 16 are activated

Age restrictions are over in Florida. As of this Monday morning, following an executive order signed by Governor Ron DeSantis last week, statewide people of legal age can be vaccinated, without needing to present any type of medical accreditation indicating that they are at. risk of coronavirus and that they need the vaccine.

In the case of 16 and 17 year old adolescents, they are also allowed to be vaccinated if they wish, but the state requires that they come to be vaccinated with a parent or legal guardian, present a birth certificate or court document. In addition, they can only receive the vaccine developed by the Pfizer-BioNTech laboratory, since it is the only one that the FDA (Federal Food and Drug Administration) has authorized in children under the age of 18.

Especially not all vaccination centers have the same vaccines, so if it is a child under 18, it is advisable to find out before approaching to receive the dose. At the moment, the Pfizer vaccine, the one developed by Moderna and that of Johnson & Johnson, is being placed in the United States.

In counties like Miami-Dade (the most densely populated in the state and therefore the most affected by the pandemic), most vaccination centers require an appointment. Since last week there were unlimited shifts with a date of today. Authorities have publicly demanded for days that people over 40 (who were previously allowed to receive the vaccine without restrictions), move closer to being vaccinated until yesterday, to avoid the conglomeration of people today. hui.

At Miami’s Overtown Youth Center, where vaccines are given without an appointment, the queue for a first dose of Pfizer was longer than usual this morning.

“The vaccination starts at 9 am, but we got there at 7 am to make sure we were going to find a dose. Likewise, most of us here are young people, who can wait without too much trouble. Also, it’s not hot, and that helps, ”Judith Valencia, a 38-year-old Miami resident, told Infobae who wanted to be vaccinated, mostly out of fear of contracting the virus and passing it on to her parents, who due to an age problem, belong to the risk group.

“I tried to make an appointment last week, but I was never able to find availability. So I decided to come in person and wait. From what I see, in about two hours the process is over here, ”said Carlos Suárez, 32, eager to receive his first dose.

In federal centers located in South Florida, such as the one operating on the north campus of Miami-Dade College, today is the last day for the first doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer (all will guarantee the second dose in 21 days). Starting tomorrow, they will receive 3,000 daily doses of Johnson & Johnson’s single dose vaccine. It is expected that with this change, the vaccination process will be further accelerated as it does not require a month to complete the vaccination process.

Although there is no age restriction, Florida continues to require proof of state residency. This could be an official document with an address in Florida or utility bills showing the person’s name and an address in the southern state.

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