Younger patients without a doctor’s certificate are given COVID-19 vaccines at Miami Dade College

COUNTY MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – At the FEMA-supported, state-run COVID-19 vaccination site on Miami Dade College’s North Campus, the official rule is that if you are under the age of 65 with underlying health conditions, you will need a doctor’s certificate to obtain a injection.

But several young adults we spoke with said they got a vaccine without it.

“I think it’s great that people are getting vaccinated so that we can live like we did before,” said Sebastian Davalos, 22.

Davalos said he has no underlying health condition. He was asked if he had a doctor’s note but said he didn’t.

Register yourself, you will get the vaccine. It’s that simple, ”he said.

Local 10 News also spoke with Stephany Lopez, 29, and husband David Marquez, 28

“They asked for our license and that’s it,” said Marquez, who acknowledged that he and his wife do not have a doctor’s certificate or underlying health problems.

The couple was at the vaccination site on Tuesday with their daughter, who will turn 15 months old on Wednesday. They had heard from friends that those who worked on the site were not checking the doctor’s notes.

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“We thought if they asked for the doctor’s note, we would go back home, but we wanted to take the risk because we think it’s worth it,” Lopez said. “We want [our daughter] to see her grandparents. “

Some people waited hours on Tuesday to secure a parking space at the Miami Dade College vaccination site, but said the actual process from registration to dose administration took less than an hour. The site can take about 3,000 recordings daily.

On Monday, Jackson Jackson Health System announced separately that it would expand access to vaccines and not require documentation for people confirming they have a high-risk condition.

Memorial Healthcare System and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital have joined Jackson and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to expand vaccinations to patients aged 16 and 17. At DiMaggio, they must “be a Florida resident or a seasonal resident and have made an in-person visit to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital doctor’s office or a tele-health visit, or have visited a JDCH or Memorial Healthcare System emergency room, 24/7 clinic, urgently care centers or hospitals in the past 12 months for any of the qualifying high-risk medical conditions. ” For more information click here.

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As for the FEMA-supported sites, Wednesday is the last day for the Florida City and Sweetwater satellite sites before moving to new satellites in North Miami Beach and Miami Springs. The Miami Dade College North Campus site will remain in place. Click here for more information about the changes.

On Saturday, the Florida City site also vaccinated anyone who showed up 18 or older, with a doctor’s note or not, because the demand for injections was low.

Infectious disease experts say the overall goal remains to get weapons to help the community move closer to a version of the old normal.

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“As long as we move in this direction, we can go back to a fairly normal lifestyle,” said Dr. Aileen Marty of Florida International University.