Every Florida County Has Access To COVID-19 Vaccine, Governor Says



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PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL – All 67 counties in Florida now have at least one site offering a coronavirus vaccine.

Gov. Ron DeSantis highlighted the statement on Tuesday, announcing that Publix was expanding its vaccination program.

Floridians 65 and older can now go to any Publix pharmacy in Palm Beach County to receive a coronavirus vaccine, expanding the option for people to get the vaccine.

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DeSantis made the announcement outside a Publix grocery store in Jupiter, saying the decision to expand the vaccination program was easy after seeing success in other small counties across the state.

“My point is, look – when things work out, you want to follow that. If people are happy, you want to do it, ”he says.

Palm Beach County is among the hardest hit by the virus, often after Miami-Dade and Broward counties in most cases. It will be the first large county where Publix pharmacies will deploy their vaccination program since their partnership with the state. With all 67 grocery stores offering appointments, the governor believes he has the potential to curb the spread of the virus.

“When I met the county folks they said that by their calculations 90% of all Palm Beach County seniors live within a mile and a half of at least one Publix.” , did he declare. “That’s 100 to 125 shots on each of these cameras per day.”

[Here’s how to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida | Click here for Publix locations offering vaccine appointments]

Speaking hours later in Cape Coral, DeSantis said that starting Thursday, all Publix pharmacies in Lee County will be offering the shots.

The program has also expanded to seven Publix pharmacies in Martin County as well as locations in Islamorada and Key West, both located in Monroe County.

The governor spoke again in Brevard County on Tuesday afternoon, announcing that 22 Publix pharmacies would also administer injections there starting Thursday.

The governor said the appointments would be open for registration on Wednesday, with shots on Thursday.

With the inclusion of Brevard County, the governor said 242 Publix pharmacies statewide will now provide the vaccine to people 65 and older.

When asked about the possibility of expanding the Publix program to other hard-hit counties, the governor said his goal was to put seniors first and ensure all Floridians have access to the footage.

“Initially, we just focused on some counties that had high senior populations, but maybe not as strong health systems as you would see in Miami-Dade or Orlando,” he said. said about expanding the immunization partnership with Publix. “But even rural counties have at least one place where you can get vaccinated.”

He said Publix was a “major force multiplier,” calling the partnership a powerful tool in Florida’s elderly vaccination efforts, but also said he also planned to support vaccination efforts by continuing sites in places of worship, collection sites and working with the county. health services.

“We had days where we made over 80,000 shots in one day,” he said, adding that the original target was 50,000.

The governor has said he expects Florida to receive more vaccine shipments in excess of the 265,000 weekly doses between Pfizer and Moderna as the Food and Drug Administration is close to granting clearance. emergency use to the drug from Johnson & Johnson next month. If approved, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccination will require an injection, alleviating some of the pressure on vaccination operations.

With plans to access the next vaccine approved for use, DeSantis said for now Florida will stay the course and increase access to the vaccine at best.

“Florida puts seniors first and now people are starting to follow what we’re doing,” he said. “I think it’s going to make a big difference … I think it’s going to save a lot of lives.”

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