As a result of Operation Warp Speed, we are witnessing the development and distribution of a vaccine at a pace that has never been seen before. The initiative to create a safe and effective vaccine has once again shown what is possible when Americans band together to combat a common enemy. We are thankful for the medical researchers who helped develop this vaccine, the truck drivers and warehouse employees who help distribute the vaccine to hospitals and clinics, and the medical professionals who will administer this vaccine.
Gov. DeSantis has announced the federal government has allocated 179,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for Florida. Our most vulnerable, including residents of long-term care facilities and those on the front lines of the pandemic, are the priorities to receive the first round of doses.
As vaccine supply increases, elderly residents and those with significant co-morbidities that place them at higher risk for complications for COVID-19 will be among the priority recipients.
According to the governor, the 179,400 doses will be allocated as follows:
- 97,500 doses will be sent to hospitals to administer vaccines to high-contact and high-exposure health care personnel.
- 60,450 doses of vaccine will be sent to CVS and Walgreens for use in long-term care facilities. Both companies are under contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to administer vaccines inside those facilities.
- 21,450 doses of vaccine will go directly to the Florida Department of Health. We will be using strike teams from Health, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida National Guard to go into long-term care facilities and administer the vaccine in areas with a high concentration of cases.
Congressman Daniel Webster represents The Villages in the U.S. House of Representatives.
