DeSantis unveils COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan for Florida

Residents of long-term care facilities will be the first to receive coronavirus vaccines, according to a rollout plan unveiled late Wednesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Once vaccines are approved, they will go, in order, to people living in long-term care facilities, health care workers in high-risk environments and people 65 and older and those with pre-existing medical conditions, he said.

“In Florida, we want to get as much vaccine for our citizens as possible, but we know we will not, nor will any state, have enough to vaccinate everyone right off the bat,” DeSantis said in a pre-recorded video his office released Wednesday night. “So, we’ve had to set priorities.”

Pfizer’s vaccine is expected to receive FDA approval next week, and Moderna’s vaccine the week after that, DeSantis said.

DeSantis did not appear before reporters but did appear on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” to discuss his vaccination plan and Florida’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. DeSantis’ choice to release the vaccination plan via a pre-recorded statement follows his pattern of repeatedly avoiding direct contact with the news media since the presidential election.

DeSantis stressed that the COVID-19 vaccine is voluntary, and only those who want to vaccinate themselves will receive it.

Florida’s plan for phased vaccination distribution follows the CDC’s playbook, which says vaccines should be distributed first to “critical populations,” including health care and essential workers and people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. That includes residents of nursing homes and assisted-living facilities and those with underlying medical conditions.

Hospitals in South Florida, including Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood and Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, will be among the first hospitals across Florida to receive and store the vaccine while they wait for final approval to use it.

The plan to start supplying hospitals with the vaccine comes as a ray of hope as Florida’s COVID-19 infections continue to rise. The number of new cases has followed monthlong trends of increases across the state, based on health department data. Infectious disease specialists warn that a rate over 5% shows the virus is not under control, and all three major South Florida counties have exceeded that level this month.

Both companies’ vaccines require two doses spaced apart for full effectiveness, DeSantis said. Pfizer’s vaccine requires 21 days between doses, and Moderna’s requires 28 days between the first and second dose.

Health officials said last week that the U.S. will get 40 million vials and Florida will get about 2 million of those. Because the Pfizer vaccine requires two shots, that means about 1 million people in Florida would benefit from the Pfizer vaccine.

DeSantis said he believes 20 million Americans could receive the first COVID-19 vaccinations by the end of December. He said he expects the FDA will approve a vaccine by Johnson & Johnson in January, and vaccinations could be distributed to the wider population in February.

“Distributing a vaccine across a large and diverse state is a big challenge, but this is a major priority for the state of Florida,” he said.

Brooke Baitinger can be reached at: bbaitinger@sunsentinel.com, 954-422-0857 or Twitter: @bybbaitinger

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