South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
How readers scored a vaccine
The Florida vaccine roll-out has proven frustrating and confounding, and everyone has had questions about how to get a vaccine, deal with the bureaucracy, remain healthy and cope with the stress. The South Florida Sun Sentinel has been answering readers’ questions since the beginning, and you’ve asked us lots of them, more than 1,000, and they keep on coming.
Now we are turning it around on our readers, who have become vaccine-finding experts, and asking them questions of our own as we brace for the next phase of the roll-out. We’ll return to our panel each week to pose more
questions and show the grit of South Floridians who have mastered a new skill and are thrilled to share their tips.
Kim Agardy Coe, Delray Beach: “As soon as the vaccine was released I went to the state Health Department website and used the drop-down menu to find each county’s procedure for registering for the vaccination. My friend on the west coast did the same and we worked together. I picked all counties that I was willing to drive to including Sarasota and Manatee. My second day online I secured an appointment at Vista View Park in Broward for the following week.
I have also made connections for others through the Facebook group, “South Florida COVID-19 Vaccination Info.” They are very professional and they have helped many of my friends. My best connection, for anyone willing to go to Miami-Dade, is with Larkin Memorial Hospital in South Miami. Dr. Farah Chohan is with the Larkin Hospital Vaccine Initiative Team. She is a treasure and has helped six of my friends get their vaccine appointments. Dr. Chohan will find you an appointment somewhere in Miami-Dade County!! You can reach her at farah. chohan@larkinhospital. com. Email her now!”
Betsy Gonzalez, Margate: “On Jan. 1, I started on the project of somehow managing to get a vaccine appointment for myself and my 75-year-old diabetic husband. Every day I began the day with emails and phone calls to all of the sources published in the Sun Sentinel
and whatever other ones I could find. And, as we say in Spanish - NADA!
One evening, Jan. 9 to be exact, I was going through Facebook while watching the news and Broward Health posted a new website for applicants. I went on, filled out the forms, sent them, and received an acknowledgment that I would hear back within 48 hours. NADA! Eleven days later, precisely when I was watching the inauguration of the new president, I received a phone call that I almost didn’t answer as I was listening to Lady Gaga sing. Lo and behold, it was Broward Health offering us an appointment for the following day at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
The only advice that I can offer to anyone still seeking an appointment is - BE PERSISTENT!”
Michael Herzlich, Delray Beach: “1. Join the Facebook group, “South Florida Covid-19 Vaccination Info,” and drop in several times a day.
2. Bookmark every South Florida county vaccine website and drop by at random times during the day.
3. Bookmark every South Florida hospital website that offers vaccination and drop by at random times.
4. Talk to neighbors daily about where they were registered for vaccination or if they know of any locations with vaccine.”
Mary Figg, Lutz: “Start by contacting all your friends to find out how they were successful. My first vaccine appointment was made online via a link sent by a friend. I shared the link with other friends.
Are you a patient of a doctor who is affiliated with a hospital or a medical school which is giving shots? You might qualify. My health center at the University of South Florida contacted me to make an appointment.
If you can drive, try official online enrollment sites in nearby counties, in addition to your own. Know Before You Go | Florida Department of Health
COVID-19 Outbreak (floridahealthcovid19.gov) lists all the sites with links to make appointments.
Be persistent; thanks to a poorly organized roll-out of the vaccine, getting an appointment is often due to luck.”
David Lebioda, New Smyrna Beach
: “I am 67 with multiple risk factors. I was probably over-anxious to receive the vaccine. I showed up at the ‘first come’ fiasco in Volusia (wasn’t close to getting in), I signed up to get alerts in Volusia, Orange and Seminole counties and eventually Publix. I went 0 for all attempts to snatch a reservation. Then I realized the vaccine frenzy would dissipate as the process was sorted out and more shots and new brands were released.
So about three weeks ago I logged in to Volusia’s website and got in!
I made reservations for myself and my mother-in-law. The actual process to get the shot could not have been more efficient and user friendly. Shot 2 is next week.”
Barry Miller, Coconut Creek: “Persistence is the key to getting your appointment for the vaccine. We were able to make a phone appointment through Broward Health early in the process. We have since received our second Moderna vaccine.
I have to hand it to Broward Health. Very organized, with little wait time. We were in and out within 35 minutes for both shots, including the 15-minute wait time after the shot to check for possible side effects.”
Cindy Lapp, Fort Lauderdale: “I actually lucked into my shot! My suggestion is to have a network of friends who let you know what’s available. Friends of mine happened to drive into Holiday Park and were able to get their shots.
They called another friend who drove by a couple days later and the same thing happened. She called me and voila! Believe me, I had made the calls, left my info, gone on websites, but you can get lucky!”
Phil Brault, Deerfield Beach:
“I received a phone call from Broward Health assigning me an appointment to be vaccinated. My son, who is 51 and has Down syndrome, was denied. I went for my shot with my son in tow. They said they had some doses left over so he was vaccinated, too.”
Larry Weisman, Delray Beach: “If you are under the care of a doctor at a hospital, you might be able to get the vaccine there. The Cleveland Clinic’s MyChart portal was my ticket to Vaccine Land. My wife stays on top of this as a way to serve our community and alerted me when the Cleveland Clinic first made its announcement. I quickly booked an appointment. The clinic has been very good about updates and instructions as far as location, parking, etc. My second shot is coming up and I can’t wait.
The system for securing the vaccine does no favors for older people who are not computer-savvy. And many cannot sit in the car for five hours, or drive, or use Porta-Potties, which makes locations like Hard Rock Stadium nearly impossible for them to access. They’re really going to need their local Publix or Winn-Dixie to take care of them. If you can help an older person, please do it. Or urge them to get a family member who can handle a computer to try to get them an appointment.”
Arthur Sklar, Highland Beach:
“How did we get our vaccinations? A combination of luck and persistence and a very helpful Facebook site.
Early on, as instructed, we registered on the website provided by Palm Beach County (a frustrating waste of time; we never received an acknowledgment or reply). We tried calling Broward and Miami-Dade, Cleveland Clinic and other health systems, all without success.
Finally, at 4:50 one afternoon I received an email notice of available vaccination appointments, to be scheduled beginning at 5 p.m. We called and, after several tries, were elated to be registered for our first shot at Hard Rock Stadium.”
Sally Harrison-Pepper, Fort Myers:
“My husband and I showed up early at the first “first come, first served” vaccination event in Estero on Dec. 28. We had no idea that, by the next day, people would be camping out overnight. We arrived at 6 a.m., and were 36th and 37th in line. It was truly just dumb luck.
Now, however, I am actively working to help all the friends and neighbors in my 55+ community get access to their vaccinations too. I use our dedicated Facebook page to provide information on upcoming vaccination appointments in Lee County, post Eventbrite opportunities in nearby counties, set up links to Publix with advice on the best ways to get an appointment, write to my own recently cultivated contacts at the health and emergency services departments to get advice I can share, and have even been featured on local news programs seven times. So far, I think I’ve helped 300 people or more get their first doses, and half of them recently received their second shot as well. Some sent me flowers. Many wrote thankyou notes. But my mission is based partly in self-interest. While it was great good fortune to get fully vaccinated so early in all of this, it means nothing if I can’t get everyone else around me vaccinated too. Only full vaccination for everyone will let me feel free… someday.”
Alan Wolfson, Delray Beach:
“We were able to obtain our initial appointment solely by luck the morning Broward offered the vaccine. My suggestion to others is this: Ask your trusted friends and family to try for you as well.
Provide them with your date of birth, address, phone number, and any other pertinent information and you will increase your chances. Instead of you and your spouse trying to get on the Publix, Winn-Dixie and Walmart sites, you can have a small army of friends and family hitting up these websites for you as well. Your chances of obtaining an appointment will surely increase.”
Diane Wilson, Bonita Springs:
“My 75-year-old husband and I (68) were thrilled when the first rollout of the vaccine started! My husband is receiving immuno-therapy for metastatic melanoma and I made it my business to try every available avenue to obtain a shot for him. We watched the local news religiously to see when and where we could call/ go online/go to Eventbrite to register. I also contacted local health departments and followed Facebook pages and websites. I’m pretty tech savvy. How hard could it be?
As it turns out it was hard; very hard. The frustration was terrible and every time I couldn’t get through, got hung up on, or hit “send” and nothing happened I got more and more frustrated. Once, I actually threw a bottle of water across the room! Totally out of character for me. To add insult to injury, when Publix started taking appointments we had to get up at 5:30 a.m. to be ready to jump on at 6.
Finally, a friend said Miami-Dade was taking calls for Hard Rock Stadium and we got an appointment. We were happy to drive two hours and wait in line three hours to get our first shot and a chance to get some normalcy back in our lives!”
Karen Zaslow, Boca Raton: “I am very fortunate to have already gotten both of my shots. When the news first came out that the vaccine was available, I immediately tried to get it. My husband and I spent several hours trying to get through to the Broward Department of Health, to no avail. I sent emails to both the Broward and Palm Beach health departments. I kept checking in with the Broward COVID Vaccine website, but it was down. We were lucky in that we had a relative who is a health professional with Broward County, and she was able to make appointments for my husband and myself in Broward in early January.
My advice is to be persistent, get on every wait list possible, and arrive as early as you can. Also, ask your trusted friends and family to try for you as well.”
Michael Hayes and Robbie Puritz-Hayes, Delray Beach: “The key to getting an appointment is a combination of timing, persistence and luck. After initiating requests with two Palm Beach County sites, to no avail, we looked further afield. Finally, we got appointments with Jackson Health Systems, North Dade Medical Center. We can’t say enough positive things about Jackson: efficency, politeness, just well organized. We have had our second shots and are very happy, and most of all de-stressed.”
Henry Krostich, Parkland: “I was able to get through to the Broward website early one morning on New Year’s weekend. The then active system asked me to select a place, date and time for my appointment.
The first three date/time combos I selected came back with a notice that no appointments were available for that time slot. I decided to try a time slot towards the end of the appointment window presented, before all the selections were taken. I tried a late afternoon time on the last day of the window, and was successful.”
As you can see, Floridians have found ingenious ways to score a vaccine. For those still searching, here’s how to find one for yourself, a loved one or a friend:
The Florida Department of Health “pre-registration” website can be found at myvaccine.fl.gov. Residents can be notified directly when appointments near them are available at state-run COVID-19 vaccine sites.
Broward’s drive-thru sites:
Call 866-201-6313 to request an appointment through the Florida Department of Health. For those requiring TTY access, the phone number is 833-4761526.
Publix in Palm Beach County: All 67 Publix pharmacies in Palm Beach County are offering the vaccine. Go to: publix.com/ covid-vaccine/florida.
Miami-Dade County: Seniors 65 and older and healthcare workers can pre-register just one time, online at miamidade.gov/ vaccine or by phone by calling 305-614-2014. Someone from the county will contact people to schedule the vaccine appointments at Miami-Dade County sites, including Tropical Park, Zoo Miami and Miami Dade College North Campus.