JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The CDC recently recommended that the next priority group for vaccinations would be individuals 75 and older along with essential workers.
In response, Florida Governor DeSantis gave an executive order last week expanding COVID-19 vaccines to now include persons 65 and older.
“I think it is a completely reasonable feeling of wanting to get vaccinated as soon as possible, every single one of us have been struggling with this the last nine months," said Chirag Patel, assistant chief medical officer at UF Health Jacksonville.
During phase one, health care workers, those 65 years or older and those at high risk will be allowed to get vaccinated. However, there are some logistical hurdles hospitals must go through first.
“My best estimate is that for us to start seeing significant numbers of 65 years and older getting vaccinated is going to be mid to late January," said Patel.
Patel says one of those hurdles is making sure there are enough vaccines to go around.
“There are about four million people in Florida that are 65 years and older and my estimate is there are about 200 to 300 thousand vaccine courses currently available in Florida, so clearly the demand is outpacing the supply at this point," said Patel.
Another obstacle would be distribution.
“Recall the storage and prep of the vaccines is complex, whether it’s how cold you have to keep the vaccine, what the shelf life is, and how long it takes to prepare the vaccine,” said Patel.
In addition, there’s a post-vaccination reaction watch period.
“We’re keeping people for about 15 minutes if they are at a low-risk group of getting a vaccination reaction, and if you’re at a higher risk of vaccination reaction we’re keeping you for about 30 minutes so we can monitor you," said Patel.
With all these factors, Patel says patience is key.
“We’ve done it for nine months there’s light at the end of the tunnel we’re almost there lets just keep moving," said Patel.