MIAMI BEACH – A long line of people snaked across the sand of Miami Beach, Florida, as dozens of travelers from Latin America waited their turn at a pop-up coronavirus vaccination booth. Sweating under the Sunday afternoon sun, visitors checked into an online system — no proof of residence required — and soon after received a free, single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and a vaccination card. ADVERTISEMENTPeople had come from all over Latin America — Ecuador, El Salvador, Venezuela — where the vaccine rollout has been slow and hampered by supply shortages. Miami Beach city commissioner David Richardson, a Democrat, who oversaw the facility, told AFP he has mixed feelings about the vaccine tourists. This easing of requirements was implemented to encourage undocumented residents to get vaccinated — but it also has encouraged vaccine tourists.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 10, 2021 01:18 UTC