Yes, snowbirds will be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Florida

When it comes to the vaccine for COVID-19, snowbirds are equal to the rest of us.

Senior visitors spending the winter in Florida, along with seniors who live in the state full-time and those with medical conditions, can get the vaccine here sometime in the coming months, said Jason Mahon, spokesman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management. They’re scheduled for the next round of inoculations after health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes it clear in its “Florida Interim COVID-19 Vaccination Plan” that you don’t have to be a full-time Floridian to get your inoculation: “The goal of the Florida COVID-19 Mass Vaccination plan is to immunize all Floridians and visitors who choose to be vaccinated.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis also tried to reassure senior Floridians when he talked about vaccines last week.

“As the vaccine supply increases over the next few weeks, we want to start getting it out to our elderly residents as well as those who may have significant co-morbidities, making them high-risk for complications from COVID-19,” he said.

Although the policies offer reassurance to snowbirds older than 65, others wonder when they can get in line. Thomas Gary Hartling, a Canadian who winters in Florida, is 56, so he doesn’t fit in the senior category, but he does have rheumatoid arthritis, potentially putting him on the pre-existing condition list.

“I’ll definitely get the vaccine here because I don’t know when I can get it at home,” Hartling said.

Sometime next year, vaccination sites will be offered in public places. State officials may use locations that have been used for COVID testing, and pharmacies are readying to offer them.

Once long-term care residents and health workers are taken care of, all seniors should be able to get vaccinated at clinics set up by CVS or Walgreens, said Dr. Michael Teng, associate professor of medicine at the University of South Florida in Tampa. As different types of vaccines come online, the options should grow.

“Hopefully we’ll have more different types of vaccines to distribute in a few months, with more logistical expertise for storing the vaccine and also less specialized storage requirements,” Teng said. “It would be great if you could do a walk-up clinic, or maybe convert parking lots or existing COVID testing sites into walk-in or drive-up clinics for vaccinations.”

Vaccines will be offered at no cost, but vaccination providers can charge an administration fee for giving the shot. The providers can get the fee reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund.

Teng said he estimates each dose costs about $20 or $30 to buy, but it will be up to those administering the vaccine to decide what they charge people.

Staff writers Brooke Baitinger and Lisa Huriash contributed to this report.

Have a question about the COVID-19 vaccine? Submit your questions here or email Lois Solomon at [email protected].

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