Florida Democratic Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy asked President Biden to adjust his vaccine distribution plan across the country after finding “obvious flaws” that could be damaging to states with higher rates of elderly people.
“We share the same goal, which is to manufacture and distribute enough vaccine doses to vaccinate all Americans as quickly as possible,” said Murphy in a letter to the president on Thursday.
But the Florida Democrat disagreed with the plan established by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to distribute vaccines to states based on the number of residents who are 18 years of age or older.
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“This single-factor formula has the benefit of simplicity, but it also has obvious flaws,” she said. “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Americans 65 and older are responsible for 81 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States.”
Murphy pointed out that one in five Florida residents is at least 65 years of age, which means that nearly 21% of the state’s population is considered to be at high risk for the deadly coronavirus and should be prioritized.
The congresswoman asked the government to take into account states and territories such as Maine and Puerto Rico, which share large populations of elderly people, in the distribution of vaccines, since the CDC recommended that people aged 75 and over have priority in receiving vaccines.
The Florida Democrat noted that the crux of the problem is that while the state tries to divert enough vaccines to teachers while schools reopen, along with frontline officials, it still bears the burden of one of the largest elderly populations in the parents.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis praised Florida’s response to vaccinating the elderly, telling reporters on Thursday, “We are number one in vaccines for the elderly.”
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“We are now reporting about 1.6 million seniors who received an injection, which represents about 35 percent of our huge elderly population,” he added.
Fox News was unable to reach the White House immediately to comment on Murphy’s request.