ORLANDO, Fla. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking how many COVID-19 vaccines each state has received compared to how many have been administered.
In Florida, about 30% of the doses distributed to the state have made their way into people’s arms, according to the CDC’s data.
READ: Analysis: Florida’s COVID-19 vaccination rate outpacing new infections, but needs improvement
“We are doing quite poorly in terms of vaccinating people,” says Florida Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. Aftab Khan.
#COVID19 vaccines are an important tool to help stop the pandemic. As of January 4, 2021, more than 4.5 million people have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. See more on COVID-19 vaccination data: https://t.co/Y4zOGzEBxs pic.twitter.com/vgwPMJROSc
— CDC (@CDCgov) January 4, 2021
Compared to other states, Florida ranks 24 on the list of vaccine administration. North Dakota and West Virginia top the list with about 60% of their vaccines administered.
South Dakota, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Nebraska, and Montana all sit high on the list with more than 40% of their allocated vaccines already injected.
READ: Here’s where to find the COVID-19 vaccine in your county
Dr. Khan says their success can be attributed to logistics and personnel.
“They did better planning in advance,” Dr. Khan says. “People are excited to have vaccination, but...we don’t have enough manpower to vaccinate people.”
The Division is proud to assist COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts across the state.
— FL Division of Emergency Management (@FLSERT) January 7, 2021
The Division remains committed to increasing vaccine accessibility statewide to our most vulnerable populations. See latest updates below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/6FdmRLIwXZ
To remedy that, the Florida Division of Emergency Management says it’s hiring 1,000 more nurses who will be deployed across the state to help out the hundreds of National Guard members and strike teams already working on the vaccination efforts.
READ: Vaccination drive enters new phase in US and Britain
“Vaccines sitting in freezers, obviously, is not going to end this pandemic,” FDEM Director Jared Moskowitz says. “It’s not going to get us out of this national nightmare.”
Federal officials once said they wanted 20 million people in the United States to be vaccinated by the end of 2020. As of Wednesday, about 6 million people have received the vaccine.
Cox Media Group
