Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to share an update on vaccines as Jackson begins vaccination of the elderly in Miami-Dade County

Jackson Health System will receive nearly 15,000 additional doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and is set to begin vaccination for people 65 and older in Miami-Dade County.

Miami-Dade County’s priority is to vaccinate our most vulnerable residents including seniors 65 and older according to state guidance. The County is coordinating closely with public and private partners – hospitals including Jackson, private companies including CVS and Walgreens, cities, and the Department of Health – to ensure all seniors age 65 and older have access to vaccines. The Mayor will share an update on county vaccination plans at today’s event.

Beginning this week, Jackson will roll out the vaccine in two steps, and will first reach out to patients who are 65 and older and receiving ongoing care at Jackson. That includes patients in organ transplant, heart surgery and other critical areas where patients are at special risk of COVID-19.

Then next week, Jackson will open an online platform for any Miami-Dade County resident age 65 or older to request a vaccination appointment and will then receive a call back with an appointment date and time.

During a media event, international music producer Emilio Estefan, 67, and Miami Dolphins legend Nat Moore, 69, will be among the first five local residents to get the vaccine at the Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial. Estefan and Moore, who both meet the federal and state criteria for vaccination in this phase, are receiving the vaccine in hopes of boosting overall public confidence and lead the charge in the rollout of the vaccine in the Hispanic and Black communities.

In order to comply with social distancing guidelines, footage will be provided by pool photo and video. NBC 6 in Miami will be the pool video, responsible for sharing this footage via multipoint immediately after the vaccines are administered. Getty Images, Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP) will provide pool photos.

Shortly after the five people receive their first COVID vaccine, Mayor Levine Cava and Jackson and County leaders will host a press conference outside of Lynn Rehab, to which all media is invited.