:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/AW6AOPPWJJCLDFVCL36V3R5PIY.jpg "Florida to start state nomination system for vaccines")
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s director of emergency management said on Thursday that a statewide nomination system for COVID-19 vaccinations should be in place in weeks, bringing order to the chaos that marks the launch of Florida vaccines for its residents more vulnerable.
Director Jared Moskowitz described the plans for the online portal in an appearance before a House legislative committee holding hearings on the pandemic in Tallahassee.
Governor Ron DeSantis has made it a priority to provide coronavirus vaccines to the elderly aged 65 and over, generating a drop in demand. State health officials have left it up to county hospitals and health departments to administer the vaccines, and some elderly people have camped in long lines outside vaccination sites, only to be rejected when supplies run out.
“I know it sounds chaotic – 67 different counties, systems and interpretations – but health care is provided at the local level,” Moskowitz told lawmakers. He said a registration system could help ease the tension that counties are now under as they distribute vaccines.
“We are working on a registration system that we plan to launch in the coming weeks to help integrate the website’s registration and fix some of the issues that we all read about,” he said.
The design of a state online portal is still under discussion and will be made available to municipalities – which are not required to use the system – to help them coordinate vaccinations.
Since then, the governor has sought to increase the number of vaccination sites. The state is receiving $ 194 million from the federal government to help distribute vaccines.
As of Wednesday, some 774,000 Florida residents had at least one injection of two vaccines approved by the federal government. More than 1.5 million people have tested positive for the virus in the state since the pandemic began; nearly 24,000 died.
State Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat from the Orlando area, wants state officials to further expand vaccination sites and give seniors who may not have access to computers and online portals the opportunity to register for vaccines through from their phones or in person.
“It shouldn’t be an online-only system,” he said. He also urged state officials to do a better job of reaching out to communities, especially those of color, who may be reluctant to trust the vaccine.
The pandemic has already hit the state’s economy, mainly in the tourism sector.
New claims for unemployment benefits tripled last week in Florida as the new coronavirus continued to affect the tourist-dependent state.
The US Department of Labor reported on Thursday that new claims for unemployment insurance in the state jumped to 75,444 last week, from 24,697 the previous week.
The high rate of layoffs coincided with an economy that faltered as snowbirds in Canada and the northern states of the United States stay away from Florida because of concerns about pandemic travel during what is often a busy time of year for visitors to the Sunshine State. Although some snowbirds who own homes in Florida say they had vaccinations while they were here in the State of the Sun.
With states indebted to the federal government for supplies, no one can be sure when enough vaccines will be available to meet demand.
Florida surgeon general Scott Rivkees told the Senate Health Policy Committee on Wednesday that Florida is receiving about a million doses a month – suggesting that it may take many months before the general population can afford it. be fully vaccinated.
Rivkees, like the governor, asked for patience.
“This vaccine is our ray of hope,” Rivkees told the committee.
Other vaccines are expected to obtain federal approval in the coming months, which will certainly increase the state’s ability to vaccinate Florida’s 21.5 million residents.
The top Democrat in the state Senate, Senator Gary Farmer, acknowledged that the state is indebted to the federal government, but criticized DeSantis for his “lack of leadership” in the pandemic. Farmer said the vaccine distribution is in disarray because of the lack of a cohesive plan to place the vaccines in the arms of Floridenses.
In some vaccination sites, the elderly had to be rejected because the amount of vaccines had run out. Scheduling sites have failed due to increased demand.
“Many people are asking themselves: when will we have the vaccine and what will the schedule be like?” asked Senator Aaron Bean, a Republican.
“Is it fair to say that with the current offer, in simplistic terms, that with the current offer, it is a maximum window of 22 months?” asked the senator.
Rivkees said he expects other vaccines to hit the market soon to speed up the schedule.
“We are very hopeful that other vaccines will be launched in the short term,” said Rivkees.
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Lush reported from St. Petersburg, Florida and Mike Schneider contributed from Orlando.
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