PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – As Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida would receive 367,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine next week, he also said he is aiming for February 2021 to have the state’s general population vaccinated. And while he encourages that people get the vaccine, he did emphasize it was not going to be mandated.
The state’s initial distribution plan for the second vaccine to receive Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will include hospital locations that did not receive doses of the first allocation of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, according to the governor’s office.
Recommended Videos
A larger number of hospitals can be included in the Moderna vaccine distribution than the first emergency use authorized vaccine by Pfizer. That vaccine required ultra-cold storage while Moderna’s does not.
[TRENDING: Rising COVID-19 hospitalizations force Miami officers to enforce curfew, mayor says | SWAT team responds to home in Plantation | BSO sweep nets gang members]
In South Florida, two dozen hospitals are expected to receive the Moderna vaccine next week. They include:
- Baptist Hospital of Miami
- Broward Health Coral Springs
- Broward Health Imperial Point
- Broward Health Medical Center
- Broward Health North
- Cleveland Clinic
- Coral Gables Hospital
- Doctors Hospital, Coral Gables
- Hialeah Hospital
- Holy Cross Hospital, Fort Lauderdale
- Homestead Hospital
- Jackson Memorial Hospital
- Mercy Hospital, a campus of Plantation General Hospital
- Mount Sinai Medical Center
- Northwest Medical Center, Margate
- North Shore Medical Center, Miami
- Palmetto General Hospital
- Plantation General Hospital
- Select Specialty Hospital (not identified), Miami
- Select Specialty Hospital (not identified), Miami Lakes
- University Hospital and Medical Center, Tamarac
- University of Miami Hospital and Clinics, UHealth Tower
- West Gables Rehabilitation Hospital
- Westside Regional Medical Center
On Friday, DeSantis highlighted in a video address what he called a historic week for Florida.
The hospital locations span 43 counties throughout Florida. See the full list here.
“As the vaccine supply increases over the coming weeks, we want to get it out to our elderly residents as well as those who may have significant underlying health conditions,” DeSantis said.
“While we encourage you to take (the vaccine), we will not mandate that you do so,” DeSantis said.
Last Monday, DeSantis said while visiting Tampa General Hospital that he is eyeing February 2021 for when Florida’s general population would have access to a vaccine.
“As we get into potentially February, you could be in a situation where there’s going to be a vaccine for people regardless of circumstances or health risks or age. Probably not before that and maybe not quite at that point but that is very possible.”” DeSantis said
Johnson & Johnson is also expected to seek authorization in January for another coronavirus vaccine.
>The state is offering updates about the COVID-19 vaccine via text. Receive the text updates by texting FLCOVID19 to 888777.