Vaccinations begin at Florida long-term care facilities

ORLANDO, Fla. — A day after Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Florida, the first long-term care facility residents have received their first doses.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said he thinks state workers can get more than 100 of the state’s 4,000 nursing home facilities vaccinated this week.

READ: Florida reports more than 11,500 new COVID-19 cases, 125 virus-related deaths

Walgreens and CVS are contracted through the federal government to administer the vaccines in nursing homes, but DeSantis said Monday that he didn’t want to wait for pharmacies to act, and is instead using the National Guard and strike teams to vaccinate facility residents, starting Wednesday.

Pinellas and Broward counties received the state’s shipment of vaccines because of the high concentration of nursing homes in those areas, but strike teams in Central Florida are also ready to assist with vaccination.

READ: ‘This is a watershed moment’: First batch of AdventHealth frontline workers receiving COVID-19 vaccine