Florida State Immunization Centers to No Longer Require Documents to Get Vaccinated Against Coronavirus

There are fewer and fewer restrictions on receiving the COVID 19 vaccine in the state of Florida. Since the beginning of April, any adult (or even over 16 accompanied by a parent or responsible guardian) can be vaccinated without having to belong to a risk group. The only limitation was the requirement to show proof of Florida residency. Now, in most large vaccination centers, they will no longer even need this requirement.

Starting today, Friday, at all federal or state-controlled immunization centers (which in South Florida include centers set up in stadiums or on college campuses), They will no longer ask for documents proving their residency in the state. Rather, they will continue to face a system of verbal control.

When you arrive at one of these vaccination centers It will be necessary to fill out a form with medical questions and personal information, such as name and date of birth. Orally, one of the the people in charge of the vaccination center will ask you for oral confirmation that you live in Florida, but without asking for any type of document to prove such a claim. The system is based on trust and good faith.

The goal is to eliminate the complications that, so far, have made it difficult to vaccinate the undocumented community in Florida, or even for those who work temporarily here.

“To individuals they will be asked if they are Florida residents or if they are here to provide goods or services ”, Samantha Bequer, spokeswoman for the state’s emergency management division, told local press.

The measure was officially announced in a statement from Florida Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees. With this novelty, vaccine eligibility in the state is officially expanded.

By the same statement, Dr Rivkees further established that the state encourages the reestablishment of government operations and face-to-face services.

“With vaccines now available to all Floridians statewide, government offices must offer their services and operations in person,” the statement said.

The mayor of Miami-Dade, Florida’s most densely populated county and hardest hit by the virus, has welcomed the move.

“This is a victory for everyone who lives in our community. Removing the barriers that separate people from the vaccine must continue to be a priority for everyone in our government, at all levels, ”Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said via her Twitter account.

They will probably still ask for some sort of documentation (not necessarily from Florida) to corroborate the age of the person to be vaccinated. The vaccines developed by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are approved for use by people over 18 years of age. The one developed by Pfizer can be placed in people over 16 years of age.

The figures indicate that minorities have had less access to vaccines since the process began, especially those without legal documents in the United States. But Eliminating the requirement to present proof of residence also allows tourists to be vaccinated.

At the start of the vaccination process, the so-called health tourism (those who do not live here and only came to get vaccinated) caused a lot of controversy among locals. Today, with widespread access to vaccines, there is less interest in the problem being generated locally.

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