University of Florida opens vaccine site at football stadium
A view of the Florida Gators football helmet taken on the field during the game against the LSU Tigers at the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in Gainsville, Florida. The Gators defeated the Tigers 11-9.Mandatory Credit: Scott Halleran /Alls
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Starting Monday, any adult in Florida is eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
In addition, the state announced that teens ages 16 and 17 can also get the vaccine with parental permission.
In an effort to get students inoculated, the University of Florida’s Athletics Department is working with UF Health and the local health department to administer the vaccine at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. University and health officials plan to inoculate up to 5,000 people, starting at 11 a.m. Monday.
Officials hope to meet a goal of vaccinating 20,000 per week, a news release said.
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The event is open to anyone eligible for the vaccine.
News outlets reported long lines outside a federally-run FEMA site in Orlando on Monday morning. FEMA has three other federally-run sites in Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami. Starting on Tuesday, these sites will offer the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine, officials said.
Azul Thurdekoos, 16, said she was excited to receive the Pfizer vaccine in Miami on Monday morning. She plays volleyball and feels she may be more at risk being around teammates.
"So I came here to protect myself as well as my family," she said. "I was actually really excited to get it. I wasn’t nervous at all."
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She added that much of her family lives in Ecuador, including her grandparents.
You have to be really careful with them," she said, adding that she is glad she can visit and "be more safe" around her.
On Sunday, the state reported that 3,660,880 Floridians had been completely inoculated, and another 2,638,758 had received the first dose of the vaccine, according to the state’s Department of Health dashboard.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.