JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference at a long-term care facility in Jacksonville on Monday during which he said by the end of January, a COVID-19 vaccine would have been offered to every resident and staff member at all of Florida’s nearly 4,000 long-term care facilities.
DeSantis said the state will continue to focus on vaccinating Florida residents who are 65 years and older.
READ: Coronavirus: What happens if the second dose of your COVID-19 vaccine is delayed?
He said 22% of seniors have received their first dose of the vaccine and almost 70% of the total number of shots in Florida have gone to seniors.
Florida is expected to get more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this week.
READ: Volusia County to open more than 1K COVID-19 vaccine appointments this week
The vaccine will be going to government-run sites, retail pharmacies and churches.
DeSantis said Florida does not have a cache of vaccine at the state.
The White House said Florida has only used half of the vaccine it received and didn’t clarify what that means.
But DeSantis said Monday that the state has held back second doses for seniors and had reserved about 964,000 doses for seniors he said still need them.
DeSantis’ criticism of the federal government’s vaccine distribution was taken to Washington on Monday.
The White House press secretary was asked directly about DeSantis’ claims of Florida not receiving enough doses. She said Florida still has vaccine left.
Read the full statement from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office below, which was provided by spokeswoman Meredith Beatrice:
“We are flattered that the White House took time out of a briefing today to spotlight the great things happening here in Florida. While some may prefer to pick a number out of context for a political talking point, I’d like to present the facts:
“According to CDC data, Florida is leading among the top 10 most populous states in doses administered per 100,000 people, as follows:
1. Florida – 7,193
2. New York – 7,019
3. Michigan – 6,962
4. Texas – 6,081
5. North Carolina – 6,068
6. Pennsylvania – 5,816
7. Georgia – 5,689
8. California – 5,568
9. Ohio – 5,536
10. Illinois – 5,517
“Despite the challenge of limited vaccine supply at the federal level, Governor DeSantis has led the charge to create a robust and innovative infrastructure for vaccinations here in Florida and we are prepared if and when additional vaccine comes.
“The Governor is also putting Seniors First, prioritizing our elderly and most vulnerable to receive the vaccine, and Florida is leading among all states in vaccinations of seniors 65 and older. To date, 70% of Florida’s total vaccinations have gone to seniors. Not only was Florida the first state in the nation to vaccinate more than 500,000 seniors, but we are rapidly approaching one million vaccines reported just to seniors (reporting may take longer than 72 hours). We are also on track to have offered the COVID-19 vaccine to all 695 nursing homes and 3,137 assisted living facilities by the end of the month.
“Governor DeSantis and his administration are working around the clock to get the vaccine into the arms of Floridians, and we’ll continue working to advocate for Florida and get us the resource we need most – the vaccine.”
Cox Media Group
