‘At risk’ people under 65 can now get vaccines at pharmacies and doctor offices in Florida
under 65 with a medical condition that makes them “extremely vulnerable” to COVID-19 can now get the vaccine in Florida through doctor offices and pharmacies.
The change is part of a new executive order Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued late Friday. Previously, only hospitals were allowed to vaccinate people under 65 who were deemed by a physician to be “extremely vulnerable” to COVID.
Now, anyone under 65 “determined by a physician to be extremely vulnerable” to the disease can get a shot at a doctor’s office or at a pharmacy like Publix or Navarro. You can also still get vaccinated at a hospital.
At-risk people under 65 still can’t get vaccinated at county and state-run sites.
The change comes several weeks after DeSantis said that he didn’t want retailers having to “referee” vaccine appointments for younger people with a preexisting health condition.
On Monday, DeSantis issued another executive order expanding the state’s vaccine eligibility to police officers, firefighters and K-12 school personnel ages 50 and over.
The new order also clarifies that at-risk people under 65 who want to get vaccinated at a doctor’s office or pharmacy will need to present a doctor’s note. The note must state that the person “meets the defined eligibility criteria established by a form prescribed by the Florida Department of Health.”
Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, which is tasked with the state’s vaccine distribution, did not immediately respond to the Miami Herald’s inquiry on which medical conditions are part of the criteria.
Based on the criteria that select South Florida hospitals have used to vaccinate people under 65, it’s likely that some of the eligible medical conditions for pharmacies and doctor offices will include cancer and Down syndrome. Remember, Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine is recommended for people 16 and older. Moderna’s is for 18 and older.
WHERE CAN AT RISK UNDER 65 GET THE COVID-19 VACCINE IN SOUTH FLORIDA?
Holy Cross Health in Broward County on Monday began offering COVID-19 vaccines to people under 65 who have certain medical conditions that make them at risk for severe COVID complications. Priority will be given to Holy Cross Medical Group patients. For details on how to request an apAnyone pointment, visit www.holycross.com/covidvaccine.
Broward Health expanded its criteria Friday to include at risk individuals 18 and older, though it quickly ran out of slots and has not said when new appointments will become available.
Jackson Health System,
● Miami-Dade County’s public hospital network, began offering vaccines early last week to people 55 to 64 who have a doctor’s note stating that they are being treated for one of 13 medical conditions.
WHAT ABOUT PHARMACIES?
On Monday, Publix opened vaccination appointments for at risk individuals, healthcare workers with direct patient contact and seniors 65 and older. To check for available slots, visit publix.com/covid-vaccine/ florida. The Lakeland-based company did not immediately respond to the Miami Herald’s inquiry on eligibility requirements, including which health conditions are considered eligible and what proof the patient will need to show.
Walmart, which also owns Sam’s Club, told the Miami Herald Monday that it’s still in the process of updating its online scheduling system to match the executive order. The big box retailer did not say when appointments for at-risk individuals are expected to become available. To check for vaccine appointments at Walmart, visit walmart.com/COVID vaccine. For Sam’s Clubs, visit samsclub.com/covid.
As of Monday, CVS y mas and Navarro Discount Pharmacies have also not updated their vaccine eligibility guidelines.
It’s unclear if Winn-Dixie, Fresco y Más and Harveys supermarket have updated their guidelines. Their websites refer people to the Florida Department of Health’s website for eligibility requirements.
Cellphone video of three city of Miami police officers wrestling a shirtless Black man in the street after a weekend traffic stop shows one officer appearing to strike him at least three times before applying a headlock.
Acting Miami Police Chief Ron Papier said the rough arrest, captured by a bystander and first obtained by WPLG Channel 10, is now under review by the department’s Internal Affairs unit.
Department policy forbids the use of neck restraints unless intended as deadly force to save lives. Miami police also want to know about something else on the videotape captured after the melee — what appeared to be a brief but heated exchange between one of the arresting cops and a MiamiDade County officer there to assist.
In a prepared statement,
Papier did not specifically mention the headlock but said force was used because the man, 25-yearold Leskeil Richards, was actively resisting officers. Richards had been in a car that one officer, according to an arrest report, first began following when it seemed to be speeding and had its windows down.
“Pursuant to its internal investigation, the Miami Police Department is actively reviewing all video and testimonial evidence related to the use of force and will take appropriate action if any violations are identified,” said the acting chief.
The legal problems for Richards — charged with battery on a police officer, resisting with and without violence and faking his identity after the traffic stop — are only going to get more complicated. Monday evening, a law enforcement source said he had escaped from detention at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he was being evaluated for undisclosed injuries.
“We do have an escapee,” said Miami police spokesman Michael Vega. “But I don’t know if it’s the same guy.”
Long before George Floyd’s death under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer and last summer’s subsequent social justice protests, the Miami Police Department had been among the first to prohibit neck restraints or chokeholds. They were banned in Miami after a 1992 traffic stop in which a 24-year-old being detained by police went into a coma and later died.
The Miami Herald published a story last summer at the height of the protests revealing that two of Miami-Dade’s largest police departments, Miami-Dade and Hialeah, continued to employ the controversial restraint tactic which restricts air flow. After the story, county Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez forbid chokeholds. So did Hialeah.
A week later Ramirez was lauded by U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson and others during a 5000 Role Models of Excellence event at Hard Rock Stadium.
The arrest under scrutiny occurred Sunday in Liberty City. Early Monday, in response to a growing chorus of complaints stemming from Channel 10’s initial report, Miami police released Richards’ arrest form and another document that police weren’t aware of until after the skirmish on the street.
Richard had a pending warrant for arrest. It is from September in Broward County, charging Richards violated the terms of his parole for robbery, battery and carrying a concealed firearm convictions by leaving his confined residence and by removing his ankle monitor. Richards couldn’t be reached for comment Monday and it was unclear if he had an attorney.
The arresting officer, identified only as tactical robbery detective M. Sevilla, said he made a U-turn on Northwest 62nd Street after noticing a Land Rover “moving faster than the normal flow of traffic” with its windows down. He also reported seeing someone in the front seat not wearing a seatbelt.
The officer said when the vehicle didn’t come to a complete stop at a red light, he turned on his siren and the driver pulled over.
As he approached the Land Rover, the officer said he noticed Richards — who he claimed to see climbing from the front seat to the back before the vehicle was pulled over — “pretending” to be asleep in the back seat. The officer ordered him out of the car after Richards said he didn’t have any identification. For his own safety, Sevilla said he patted down Richards, who was wearing only gym shorts and white socks.
When the officer, according to the arrest report, said Richards appeared to be looking for an avenue of escape, he took him to the ground. More force was used, the officer said, as Richards dug his fingers into another officer’s wrist. He was finally handcuffed and put in the back of a patrol car. Sevilla said Richards at first gave a fake name, but police were able to use new fingerprint technology to identify him.
There is no mention anywhere in the police report of an officer using any blows or type of neck restraint on Richards.
The video shows three officers grappling with Richards, with one appearing to deliver several blows toward Richards’ head and also shows an officer holding him in a firm headlock. The woman recording the scuffle is heard commenting, “Why is he punching him?” Near the end of the video, the officer who had Richards in a headlock is seen having a terse conversation with a Miami-Dade police officer who was there to assist.
Tommy Reyes, president of Miami’s Fraternal Order of Police, cautioned that before any decision is made, investigators need to review the totality of the arrest.
“When you’re in a high stress situation and when someone is resisting arrest, especially with no shirt on, it leaves you with minimal options for controlling the person,” said Reyes.
But one expert on police tactics questioned the need for a headlock. Geoff Alpert, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, said as departments have done away with chokeholds over the years, police are taught a variety of less lethal options to subdue a suspect.
“Why would you use a neck restraint? And for what, fleeing from a traffic stop?” Alpert asked. “That kind of basic language just doesn’t cut it anymore,” he said referring to the arrest report.