PENSACOLA, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday he is signing an executive order to ensure senior citizens are the top priority when it comes to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in the state.
Speaking from Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, the governor said that after front line health care workers have received their vaccines, those 65 years of age and older will be next in line to get their shots.
"Once we're able to do that with those initial doses, we want to work to get this out to our senior population. We think that's very very important," he said, adding that vaccinating seniors would reduce hospitalizations and deaths.
Vaccines for the 65 and up general population could begin in Florida as early as Monday, DeSantis said. He admitted the state does not currently have enough vaccines to cover the more than 4,000,000 people in the 65 and up population, but urges people not to "rush out" to local hospitals because of limited supply.
Though DeSantis said Monday could be the beginning, he did not specify how the process might work, but that the information on where and how seniors can sign up will be released in the coming days.
Right now, 173 hospitals across the state have vaccines available for their own staff and front line workers, and any excess will then be used to inoculate senior citizens, DeSantis said.
The move to target those 65 and up in the general population splits from guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which recommends essential workers should come next, along with people 75 and up.
"The problem is people who are 73 or 74 would be in the back of the line after a young 21 year old worker who's considered quote 'essential.' That doesn't, I think, make sense," DeSantis said.
Through an executive order, DeSantis mandated that phase one of vaccinations should include:
- Long-term care facility residents and staff
- Persons 65 years of age and older
- Health care personnel with direct patient contact
The order adds that hospital providers can also choose in phase one to vaccinate people who are deemed to be "extremely vulnerable" to COVID-19.
"It's really a ray of hope," said Dr. Jennifer Porter (OB/GYN), one of the nearly 800 people who took part in the local vaccine trials in Jacksonville. "This type of vaccine is a technology that has been there and been tested and been available for awhile now. They just have been able to target it toward COVID-19."
DeSantis said, since the start of the rollouts, more than 70,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered.
You can watch the governor's full press conference below.
His remarks came one day after promising the state that elderly patients would receive coronavirus vaccines before younger essential workers.
Speaking from The Villages Tuesday, DeSantis said the state would prioritize Florida's allocation of COVID-19 vaccines for elderly patients, rather than complying with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation to administer the shots to essential workers and people 75 and older.
“We are not going to put young, healthy workers ahead of our elderly vulnerable population,” he said at The Villages, announcing the state’s policy.