‘Vaccine tourists’ Fly from Abroad for Injections on US 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.

People had come from all over Latin America — Ecuador, El Salvador, Venezuela — where the vaccine rollout has been slow and hampered by supply shortages.

“In my country, (Covid-19) is getting out of hand and there’s not much chance we’ll have access to the vaccine soon,” Maria Bonilla, who arrived Saturday from Honduras, told AFP.

The 40-year-old accountant flew in with her parents, aged 63 and 73. The three of them stood in line, wearing masks. “We had to make the decision to look for a solution outside the country,” Bonilla said.

Blanca Diaz, 50, who arrived Friday from Mexico, came to the…

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