Lee County images have now become a national spectacle: Florida seniors wrapped in blankets, camping in queues overnight outside testing sites for the chance to get a coronavirus vaccine.
After spending most of the year in pandemic purgatory, many Floridians are eager to have an injection. But the state of Florida has not established a clear distribution plan, leaving it to each county to decide how to distribute doses.
The vaccine is now available to some health professionals, especially those in large hospitals and first responders. Governor Ron DeSantis said Florida residents over 65 are the next priority. But many expressed confusion about how or when to receive vaccines.
O Tampa Bay Times he asked Floridians to share their experiences this week and many expressed confusion and frustration. Their answers, edited for length and clarity, offer a snapshot of the questions that still run across the state.
There are not enough commitments or information on how to book a
We saw on our phones that you could call the Broward County Health Department to make an appointment. Our daughter, my son-in-law, my husband and I called. My husband finally managed to speak and went right after the cut. In a matter of hours, they were completely full. We were isolated, we did due diligence. Now the vaccine is coming out, but it looks like you have to win the lottery. We used to call radio stations to win prizes. That’s how we feel today. And we didn’t win! – Christy McLellan, Boynton Beach, as told to Gabrielle Calise
“It is absolute chaos in Sarasota County. I spoke to the health department this morning and they said that their limited supply would be given to frontline health workers (it makes sense). I would need to call you back in a few weeks, when they get a bigger supply. Less than five hours later, the health department issued an announcement that health workers and people over 65 were starting vaccinations today, but that all consultations had already been made. They provided the process for the paperwork needed to get a vaccine as more supplies arrived and noted that an appointment was needed, but did not share information on how to get an appointment. What the hell? Can anyone come forward to bring clarity, organization and equity to the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination? Having access to a life-saving vaccine (to save yourself and others) should not be a game of cat and mouse. This is what economically poor people have endured for years in our underfunded public health systems. It is more dysfunctional and damaging than ever with the tensions brought about by COVID – not to mention politics. “- Christine Maxwell, Sarasota
“300 doses available and 1,000 people in line to get them. First come, first serve, no commitments. Nothing but a clusterf – k. ” – Rick Feeney, Cape Coral
“I live in downtown St. Pete and I have been very proactive in trying to make an appointment for the vaccine. Apparently, there is no plan to dispense with the vaccine for over 65 years; despite the governor’s executive order a week ago. I called the health department, CVS, hospitals and my primary care physician; nobody had details. I watched while appointments were scheduled in minutes in other counties. All I want to do is get a place in the queue; I also have health problems and, like many, I live alone and I am isolated. After hours online, I managed to make an appointment 2 and a half hours away. Frustration and restlessness better describe how I feel. I would much rather be vaccinated in Pinellas County. ” – Bonnie Hechtkopf, Saint Petersburg
Many health professionals have not yet been vaccinated
“I am a frontline healthcare provider, working in a large private clinic not affiliated with a hospital. I represent a huge population of neglected doctors, NRAs, PAs and providers. We are not even included in the essential workers. I contacted the Pinellas County Health Department and was instructed to follow the media for my age group. I wrote to Marco Rubio, Governor DeSantis and Charlie Christ to no avail. I desperately want the vaccine because I am 60 years old and see 30 to 40 patients without a mask a day. ” – Lou Ann Heckman, ARNP, Saint Petersburg
“I called [The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough] and said, ‘I’m a doctor in a private practice, when can I get the COVID vaccine?’ I didn’t get a clear answer, I was informed that nowhere else in Hillsborough received a vaccine other than Tampa General Hospital; Long-term care and high-risk / high-contact healthcare professionals come first, everyone over 65 is next. ” —Tazia K. Stagg, MD, Tampa
“There is no information on when the vaccine may be available to dentists and hygienists, who are actively treating patients who may be infected and don’t realize it, even though we are doing the screening. Aerosols are generated and, although we use extensive and suitable PPE, the vaccine would provide additional security to prevent the disease. I endorse the frontline medical professionals who are actively working with the COVID patients who received the vaccine first. ” – Steven Bloom, DDS
Others wonder when it will be their turn
“My 95-year-old mother-in-law lives with my wife and I in Indian Rocks Beach. She lived in one of the long-term institutions that was devastated by COVID. Fortunately, she was negative and we took her out. We have been your caregivers since April. Ironically, if she were still in a house, she would be vaccinated. We are not concerned with ourselves, even though we are really “caregivers”. Can she get a vaccine? ” – Jim Arnold, Indian Rocks Beach
“I am in a very high-risk group – immunocompromised with idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia and bronchiectasis. Having both conditions puts me at greater risk for CDC, despite my age of 38, but all vaccination centers so far say they are not vaccinating under the age of 65. My wife and I tried to call, scrolling down the list. Most of the places we find are only for vaccinating the elderly. It looks like a mess. I think it is disappointing that there was no more structure and organization in the process. ” – Jeff Dawson, Hallandale Beach
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