Seniors begin to invade overwhelmed COVID-19 vaccination sites

MIAMI – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pleaded with anxious seniors waiting their turn to get their COVID-19 vaccine as confusion and frustration arose over the availability of the life-saving vaccine among some of the most vulnerable of State.

At the state’s vaccination sites, the elderly formed long lines – some camping overnight with lawn chairs and blankets – in hopes of gaining immunity to fight the virus. . Even before the sun rose on Wednesday morning, a southwest Florida county’s vaccine supply for the day was already on record, prompting authorities to refuse anyone else who arrived.

Seniors in other parts of the state were frustrated with busy phone lines and websites that would no longer post new immunization appointments.

DeSantis has prioritized Floridians over 65 to be next in the state’s vaccine stockpile list, now that most healthcare workers and other first responders are protected from the virus that infected over 1.2 million Floridians.

Health officials reported 13,871 new cases and 139 new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 21,857.

More than 82% of those who have died from the disease are over 65, underscoring the urgent need to vaccinate older Floridians, the governor said on Wednesday.

“The supply of COVID-19 vaccines is still limited. We don’t have enough vaccines currently available for the 4 million plus seniors in the state of Florida, ”the governor said at a press conference in Delray Beach. “We will get there but it will not happen overnight. So be patient.

Amid uncertainty over how quickly the state can acquire more doses of two now-available vaccines, county health departments and state hospitals are scrambling to provide the vaccine to the elderly.

Lin Humphrey, a college professor whose 81-year-old mother lives with him in a high-rise building in Miami, said it took him about 80 calls to call someone on the phone at a Miami Beach hospital who started vaccinating older people last week. with limited doses of vaccines.

“It reminded me of the ’80s when you had to call a radio station to be the 10th caller to get concert tickets,” Humphrey said. “When I finally got it, I cried on the phone with the woman.

Early Wednesday morning, health officials in Lee County, home to Fort Myers, announced that all three vaccination sites had reached capacity on their third day of providing injections to residents 65 and older. People had lined up outside a library, recreation center and theater to take one of the few hundred available doses after health officials said no appointments were necessary as they would be administered on on a first come, first served basis.

The Orlando Sentinel reported that Orange County state health officials shut down its online portal on Tuesday after generating 30,000 appointments in about 24 hours. And Broward Health’s hospital network said it would stop scheduling vaccine appointments the same day they started “due to overwhelming community demand.”

Abdulla Benkhatar, 90, led the line Tuesday morning at a Fort Myers recreation center.

“We’ve been home for almost 10 months now. It’s really important for me, for my health, and to be able to do things that I love to do and get back to normal, ”he told WZVN-TV.

On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health said it had administered doses to around 175,465 in the state, most of which were healthcare workers, emergency first responders and residents of care facilities. assisted.

Some older people began receiving vaccines on Monday in the first eight counties that received their vaccine batches last week. The other 59 counties in the state are expected to start receiving their share of vaccines soon.

In Miami, Jackson Health System has started administering vaccines to people aged 65 and over who receive care in the network. Music producer Emilio Estefan, 67, and Miami Dolphins senior vice-president Nat Moore, 69, received the first dose of the vaccine on Wednesday in front of reporters at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Jackson Health said it will launch an online platform next week for residents to make appointments to get vaccinated.

Counties and hospitals have taken different approaches to the way they administer the vaccine, causing confusion, frustration and lines.

“They will solve the problems, as they have been,” the governor said. “If you are 65 and over, you will have access to it. It might not be today for everyone, maybe not next week. But over the next few weeks, as long as we keep getting the supply, you’ll have the opportunity to get it.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said she wrote to DeSantis recommending that they mobilize the Florida National Guard to distribute COVID-19 vaccines, arguing the deployment had been too slow.

“Although the state received 1,218,300 doses of the vaccine, only 15% of those were actually administered,” she said in the letter. “The lack of preparation and progress in the administration of these essential and life-saving vaccines is inexcusable.”

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Local 10 reporters Madeleine Wright, Amy Viteri and Saira Anwer contributed to this report.

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