With the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine on hold, Florida's federally supported hubs has resumed offering first doses of the two-dose Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
No appointments are necessary at the sites, but supply is limited.
On April 5, the FEMA sites began offering only the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and scheduled second doses of the Pfizer. However, the federal government has recommended a pause in the J&J vaccines while it investigates rare blood clots found in six recipients.
Since the pause, the four FEMA locations in Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville and Orlando had been offering only second doses of Pfizer shots.
A spokeswoman for the state says it’s not likely that each site will have the supply to offer the 3,000 doses per day that they had been offering with Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
“The state is continuing to work with FEMA to determine first-dose capacity under the change in vaccine brands,” Samantha Bequer, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Emergency Management, said in an email.
It’s not clear when the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be offered again.
The four federally supported sites are scheduled to close May 26. At that time, the state will make other arrangements for people who still need their second doses.
“The goal of these sites is to increase vaccine access to all Floridians and the state is committed to working with FEMA to ensure these sites can continue to offer the vaccine to underserved populations,” Bequer said.
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