DeSantis: Florida’s long-term care facility residents could be vaccinated in weeks

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday during the coronavirus pandemic Operation Warp Speed conference that all of the residents of long-term care facilities in Florida could be vaccinated in weeks. (Copyright 2020 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)

WASHINGTON – Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday during President Donald Trump’s conference about the coronavirus vaccine that long-term care facilities in Florida will be the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

DeSantis said he would also give priority to hospitals. He said teachers, law enforcement officers, and other local frontline personnel would get the vaccine next.

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DeSantis added that Florida’s broader senior population would follow. They could receive their first vaccine shots, he said, by the end of January.

“Hopefully, we will have enough for whoever wants to do it,” DeSantis said about the supply of the vaccine, which requires two shots.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine this month. Scientists believe the Pfizer vaccine is more than 90% effective.

Vice President Mike Pence said the Trump administration will also be working with Walgreens and CVS to help deliver the two doses of the vaccine.

The FDA is also considering the approval of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, which was developed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. FDA advisors will be discussing Pfizer’s vaccine on Thursday.


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