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MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) – The Jackson Memorial Hospital and Memorial Regional Hospital will soon bring hope to those fighting the coronavirus, as they have been chosen to be among the first hospitals in the state of Florida to distribute vaccines.
Meanwhile, South Florida mayors are asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to allow them to reinstate some restrictions, such as the mask mandate.
The vaccine could possibly be in South Florida in December, when hospitals will begin administering the vaccines to health workers and the most vulnerable.
“I think this gives us hope that things will get better,” said Dr Thomas Macaluso. “I mean, right now things are pretty dire in other parts of the country, and they are certainly of concern here.”
Memorial Regional Hospital and Jackson Memorial Hospital have been chosen from the state’s five hospitals to distribute vaccines that could help end the pandemic.
Pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer are both on track to start distributing their vaccines next month.
“Our goal is to deliver several hundred million doses in the first four to five months of 2021,” said BioNTech CEO Uğur Şahin.
Macaluso said Memorial Regional expects to receive the Pfizer vaccine and adds that the hospital is equipped to handle the drug, purchasing special freezers to store the drug, which the company says is now 95% effective. .
“We have our plans for where we’re going to administer and how. We have trained vaccinators, ”he said.
But the vaccine rollout is still a few weeks away, and Dr Macaluso says only 1 million Floridians will be able to receive the first doses.
DeSantis met with Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar to discuss vaccine distribution.
“This initial distribution is seen as phase one in which available vaccine stocks are limited, this roadmap calls for administering the vaccines to workers in critical infrastructure as well as to people who may be at high risk,” Macaluso said. .
Meanwhile, South Florida mayors are hoping for a little leeway from the governor to reinstate some COVID-19 rules.
“It’s still a fatal disease that can kill people,” said Miami City Mayor Francis Suarez.
Given the surge in cases, they want to be able to put some restrictions back in place after the governor takes that power away.
“It is high time we imposed masks statewide,” Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez said.
“Give us the tools we need to get the vaccine with the fewest deaths and fewer hospital visits,” said Miami Shores Mayor Crystal Wagar.
As the virus spreads, officials said their hands were tied thanks to an order issued by DeSantis that limits COVID-19 restrictions statewide.
As Florida prepares for a third wave, they are urging it to change course.
“These are not Republicans or Democrats. I’m a Republican and I’m the most conservative guy in the world, but we have to take care of our health and our businesses, and the best way to do that is to use that balance which, right now, is like, it’s just gonna go that way and hopefully it works, ”Hernandez said.
So far this week, more than 28,000 Floridians have contracted the virus and 87 new deaths were reported on Wednesday.
These mayors believe that if they can tighten restrictions briefly until vaccines are widely available, more lives can be saved.
“I hope he can review these things and understand that we are here to work with him, not against him,” Hialeah mayor Carlos Hernandez said.
Part of the concerns of mayors is that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and Christmas is coming a month later. While people are urged not to gather in large groups of families, leaders know this will always happen, which is why they are asking DeSantis to implement the new protocols or allow local leaders to do so. make.
The governor’s office did not respond to 7News’ request for comment.
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