COVID-19 vaccination efforts at Central Florida hospitals slowed by lack of supply

ORLANDO, Fla. — Vaccination efforts in Central Florida are starting to gain steam, but hospital officials said vaccine supply remains the main hindrance.

The local daily positivity rate in CentraCare is down below 9% for the first time in a long time.

READ: COVID vaccines available to those under 65 deemed ‘extremely vulnerable,’ but who’s included?

Doctors think we are in the fourth quarter of the pandemic, but it is still unknown how the situation will develop in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, AdventHealth is asking the state for more doses. The hospital asked for about 40,000 vaccines to inoculate the most vulnerable patients in their system.

READ: Orlando Health says 90% of its doctors have received COVID-19 vaccine

So far, the hospital system only got 500 and they used that up in one day on cancer and transplant patients.

Thousands of patients who are also high risk are still waiting.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state doesn’t know what next week’s supply will look like, so he has to hold the second doses back instead of sending more to hospitals like AdventHealth.