350K Seniors Vaccinated In FL; State Tops 1.5M Cases: Report

FLORIDA — The state continues to focus on "seniors first," as more than 350,000 Florida seniors 65 and older have received the coronavirus vaccine since it first rolled out in the Sunshine State nearly four weeks ago, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.

The governor provided an update on the state’s vaccine distribution during a press conference at a new distribution site in The Villages, News4Jax reported.

His update on the vaccination process in Florida came as nearly 15,000 new coronavirus cases were reported through the state’s COVID-19 dashboard Tuesday. This brings the total number of cases in the state since the start of the pandemic to more than 1.5 million.

DeSantis also reiterated his “seniors first” mantra in a video he shared on Twitter Tuesday, reminding viewers that Florida will “remain focused on our senior population.”

He added, “Florida’s putting seniors first. More than 50 percent of the total vaccines administered in the state have been for individuals 65 and older and we continue to accelerate this rate.”

Nationally and in Florida, those 65 and older account for more than 80 percent of all COVID-19-related deaths, the governor said. “Vaccinating Floridians 65 and older is not only the right thing to do, but also the most effective tool we have to battle the pandemic and to reduce mortality.”

From the beginning, DeSantis has prioritized the 65 and older population, as well as frontline health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities, revealing his vaccine distribution plan just before Christmas. His plan went against initial recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC expanded its coronavirus vaccine eligibility guidelines Tuesday to include everyone 65 and older, and those with comorbidities.

At Tuesday’s press conference in the Villages, he said that he expects another 250,000 vaccine doses to arrive in Florida soon, reports said. CDC data shows that nearly 1.7 million doses have been delivered to the state, though only just over 633,000 people among all priority groups have received their first in the two-dose vaccination series.

The governor, while speaking at a Niceville, Florida Publix, also announced Tuesday that the state is expanding its partnership with the Lakeland-based grocery chain. He first revealed Jan. 5 that select Publix pharmacies would start to distribute the vaccine.

A week later, in addition to the original 22 Publix pharmacies in Citrus, Hernando and Marion counties, another 26 stores in the Panhandle — in Bay, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties — will offer COVID-19 vaccines, NBC2 reported.

On Wednesday, these stores will begin booking online appointments for Thursday, reports said. Vaccination appointments at these stores’ pharmacies can be made online through the Publix website.