Speaking In Pensacola, DeSantis Orders Age 65+ As Next Priority On Vaccine List

December 24, 2020

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order Wednesday while in Pensacola  that puts Floridians 65 and older next up on the vaccine list.

Under the order, providers will administer COVID-19 vaccine to long-term care facility residents and staff, health care personnel with direct patient contact and persons 65 years of age or older. Hospitals, however, also may vaccinate persons who they deem to be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19.

“Bear with us. Our priority is the elderly population,” he said. “We have enough vaccine. We’ll get it out. As we continue to get more and more, we’ll make it broader and broader.”

Speaking at Ascension Sacred Heart in Pensacola, DeSantis also announced that in addition to hospitals, county health departments will begin vaccinating individuals 65 and older in the coming weeks as supply permits. At this time, only a limited amount of COVID-19 vaccine has been received by county health department.

“When we first started this, I remember working with Sacred Heart to just try to get people to have a test in March and April,” he said. “It was like there were no tests available. Built up a big infrastructure on that.”

“We have been on defense for so long, we have poured tremendous hours, we have lost friends, we have lost patients,” said Jennifer Henry, director of clinical operations at Sacred Heart. “It’s been tough. But over the last 24 hours … we are on the offense. We’re fighting back. We are vaccinating.”

Over the past two weeks, more than 170 hospitals across the state have received doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, and as a part of their allocation, hospitals received enough doses to vaccinate their entire frontline health care staff and have vaccine remaining.

Comments

7 Responses to “Speaking In Pensacola, DeSantis Orders Age 65+ As Next Priority On Vaccine List”

  1. CDB on December 28th, 2020 12:19 am

    Political or not. This is just like the mask. If you don’t want to get vaccinated to try to save yourself, then do it so you don’t inadvertently kill someone else. Especially someone you care about. Covid affects everyone differently and nobody is guaranteed to be safe. But just like the mask, if you plan to leave your house, for any reason, you’ll need to wear a mask and preferably get vaccinated. Because this stuff is really killing people. And last time I checked, no one has the right to kill anyone else!

  2. David on December 26th, 2020 6:09 pm

    I will decide what is best for me.
    Not ANY AND ALL 2 faced politicians

  3. Lu on December 26th, 2020 3:26 am

    Awwwwww…… That will be a NO for Me! I take My Chances.

  4. Jerry on December 25th, 2020 10:27 pm

    By allowing people to gather and not enforcing any sort of rules , he is responsible for so many deaths.

  5. Nancy beaupre on December 25th, 2020 8:34 pm

    How do we get the injection? Where do we go? I’m 74 and have copd have not worked since March. I do want the vaccine.

  6. Charlotte R Bates on December 25th, 2020 6:45 pm

    I will not allow this vaccine to be put into my body.

  7. sam on December 25th, 2020 10:12 am

    ok, when can we contact the health dept? what’s the number?