Trump Blames States For Slow Vaccine Rollout | The 11th Hour | MSNBC Dr. Vin Gupta says this is a .disaster situation,. not a regular flu season and points out what the federal government can do to help. Aired on 12/30/2020. (Image by YouTube, Channel: MSNBC) DetailsDMCA
Essential workers at a South Florida assisted living home got their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine last week, according to a former employee of the Broward County facility.
But the aging adults who live there are still waiting for their first shot in the arm, said the source, who keeps in touch with people who continue working with the seniors. Officials at the facility expect the seniors in their care to get their first of two vaccinations soon. The federal government started delivering doses to the states about a month ago.
For context, The Washington Post reports that In Florida....At least 776,430 first doses have been administered,
covering 15.0% of the prioritized population...
and 3.6% of the state's population.
Florida has been allocated 1,739,225 first doses,
enough to vaccinate 33.0% of the prioritized population...
and 8.1% of the state's population.
Buildings that house sick and convalescing seniors suffer from higher Covid-19 death rates than the general population. And that trend is increasing again, after dipping in Florida.
"According to state data, about 40% of the Covid-19 deaths in Florida during the pandemic have been linked to long-term care facilities," reports News4 in Jacksonville.
The station adds, Data tracked by the state shows all of the long-term care facilities in Florida have reported Covid-19 deaths."
A Jan. 15 article in the Daytona Beach News Journal examines the numbers from a different angle. It says, "While Florida is faring better than the national average, the rate of nursing home resident deaths has tripled nationwide and resident and staff infection rates have nearly doubled over the last six weeks, according to an AARP press release."
The state website advises visitors, "Governor Ron DeSantis has signed Executive Order 20-315 which outlines that providers can only administer the COVID-19 vaccine to the following groups:
 · Long-term care facility residents and staff.
 · Persons 65 years of age and older.
 · Health care personnel with direct patient contact.
 · Persons deemed to be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 by hospital providers.
So it is not surprising that other people on the state list of people eligible to get vaccinated now are also waiting.
According to the state Department of Health, "Demand for the Covid-19 vaccine is far in excess of the supply the state has received so far. It is anticipated that additional supplies will be coming soon."
The agency adds, "Florida has many sites that are providing Covid-19 vaccines to eligible persons, but supplies are limited and appointments may not be available at many of these sites."
Press reports indicate Floridians are waiting in long lines, only to be turned away. They are also taking hours to make phone call appointments or computer appointments that may not lead to success.
This chaos happens as President Donald Trump gets ready to leave the White House Wednesday and return to his golf resort home in Palm Beach County, in South Florida. Trump, who contracted Covid-19 this fall, but has since recovered, says others are to blame for distribution problems.
"President Donald Trump tried on Wednesday to deflect criticism for a slower-than-expected rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine, saying the U.S. has distributed the lifesaving shots but states have to administer them," CNBC reports.
Trump is returning to a state that he won handily in the November election.
However, Democrat Joe Biden, who promises sweeping changes in distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine once he takes office, defeated Trump nationally by about 7 million votes.
Biden will be sworn in Wednesday after Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and other Trump supporters claimed the Democrats stole the election from Trump. The lies about the election persisted as officials went about the job of protecting 330 million Americans from the novel Coronavirus. About 400,000 Americans have died from Covid-19, although Trump claims that figure is a lie.
What follows are some useful links for readers who want more information about Covid-19 and the status of vaccine distribution in Florida and nationally:
