Florida Leads Nation With Nearly 1 Million Seniors Vaccinated

FLORIDA —On Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined decorated World War II veteran and centenarian Henry Sayler to witness Sayler receiving his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

The moment commemorated Florida nearing one million seniors vaccinated, more than any other state in the country.

“Florida is reaching a milestone as we work to rapidly deploy vaccines to seniors,” DeSantis said. “Our successful 'Seniors First' strategy in Florida has allowed us to target this key population and narrow in on one million people 65 and older vaccinated – the first state in the nation to do so. It was an honor to witness Henry Sayler receive his first dose of the vaccine today.”

Sayler, who lives in St. Petersburg, turned 100 years old last Saturday, Jan. 16. He not only is a decorated World War II fighter pilot and West Point graduate but served as a Florida state senator.

DeSantis said his targeted approach of vaccinating Florida seniors has resulted in 66 percent of the total vaccines received by the state going to residents age 65 and older.

As a result of Florida's success, DeSantis said the federal government is now recommending that states give vaccine priority to seniors age 65 and older.

DeSantis rolled out the state's vaccination program in December when the federal Food and Drug Administration approved the two vaccines made by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna.

The first vaccines went to front-line health care providers, first responders, and residents and staff of assisted living facilities. Afterward, DeSantis focused on the population that's most vulnerable to the coronavirus — seniors.

This week, DeSantis announced several new developments in the state's vaccination program.

State Opens 3 Vaccination Sites

Among them, the state set up three state-run vaccination sites manned by contracted nurses and members of the Florida National Guard. The new sites are located at the University Square Mall in Tampa, Marlins Park in Miami and Regency Square in Jacksonville.

Courtesy Florida Division of Emergency Management

The state has hired Sharecare Health Data Services to handle vaccination appointments for the state sites. Sharecare has committed 5,000 employees to answer its phone lines.

Sharecare is also in the process of setting up an online portal. It's expected to go live in a few weeks.

According to a company representative for CDR Maguire Health and Medical, counties throughout Florida will continue to use CDR Maguire to manage vaccinations for their county residents. Residents must set up accounts and register for appointments through the CDR Maguire patient portal.

CDR Maguire will share the information with Sharecare to eliminate the need for residents to set up a new account.

No More Vaccine Tourism

In response to what's been dubbed "vaccine tourism," DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees issued a public health advisory Thursday specifying that seniors receiving the vaccine must be full- or part-time residents of the state.

DeSantis originally said anyone ages 65 and up could receive the vaccine. However, Florida residents complained that seniors were flying or driving to Florida from northern states and Canada just to get vaccine shots. Snowbirds now must provide proof of their part-time residency in Florida such as a deed, monthly mortgage statement, lease agreement or utility bill.

Publix To Open 242 Clinics In 18 Counties

Finally, DeSantis announced the expansion of a partnership with Publix Supermarkets, which will operated 242 vaccination clinics in 18 counties.

During a pilot program, Publix vaccinated residents at 22 clinics in Citrus, Hernando and Marion counties.

DeSantis said Publix will open an additional 137 vaccination clinics in Bay, Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, Escambia, Flagler, Lee, Martin, Monroe, Okaloosa, Palm Beach, St. Johns, Santa Rosa, Volusia and Walton counties. Click here for a list of Publix stores hosting clinics.

Latest Coronavirus Counts

In the meantime, the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus is up slightly with 13,435 cases reported Thursday. There were 12,676 cases on Wednesday and 11,589 cases on Tuesday. That's still nowhere near the recent high of 20,975 cases on Dec. 31.

With 108,592 people testing positive Thursday, Florida's positivity rate is 12.37 percent.

Another eight people died from the virus Thursday bringing the total number of coronavirus deaths to 274 in the past seven days.

Since the pandemic was declared, 1,627,603 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus. That translates to about one in every 13 residents.

Additionally, 69,735 people have been hospitalized and 25,405 (one in every 846) residents have died, according to the Florida Department of Health's coronavirus dashboard.

See related stories:

• Select Publix Stores To Distribute Coronavirus Vaccine: DeSantis
• State-Run Vaccination System Near, Shots Limited To FL Residents
• FL Residents Fear Their Vaccines Are Going To Non-Residents
• Task Force Warns Florida Of 'Full COVID-19 Resurgence': Report