Renzo Downey
The first Floridians will begin receiving their COVID-19 booster shot Monday as the state begins week four of its vaccine rollout.
Pfizer and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend people wait 21 days after receiving their first Pfizer shot to receive the booster. That means follow-up appointments can begin Monday for 28 people who, according to Department of Health records, received their first round of the vaccine on Dec. 14.
That day, three major Florida hospitals received their first shipments of Pfizer vaccine doses, which were used to offer shots to health care workers at those hospitals and in their health care systems. Two more hospitals received vaccines the following day, and state officials and private partners began administering the vaccine to some nursing home residents and staff later that week.
By the end of the rollout’s first seven days, more than 48,700 Floridians had been vaccinated. As of Sunday morning, 255,808 people had received their first dose, including 74,242 people 65 years old or older.
According to the CDC, recipients can receive the booster shot as early as 17 days after their first shot if conflicts prevent them from waiting the full 21 days. As of Sunday morning, no Floridian had received their final COVID-19 shot.
Last week, Florida received 118,950 doses of the Pfizer formula, designated specifically as booster doses for the people who have received their first shot. Those shipments were sent to Tampa General, Broward Memorial, UF Shands in Jacksonville, Jackson Memorial in Miami and Advent Health in Orlando, as well as long-term care facilities in Broward and Pinellas counties where state strike teams administered some shots.
A week after the first Pfizer vaccines arrived in Florida, the state received its first Moderna vaccines. But unlike the Pfizer formula, the recommended wait before receiving the Moderna booster is 28 days, putting the first follow-up appointments for Moderna recipients on Jan. 18.
Federal officials advise against mixing the Pfizer vaccine with a Moderna booster because experts have not tested that mixture’s safety and effectiveness.
Through Sunday afternoon, more than 1.3 million Floridians have tested positive for COVID-19. That includes 63,332 people who have been hospitalized and 21,987 who have died.
