The director of the Florida emergency response organization said Thursday that a statewide COVID vaccination scheduling system should be in place within weeks, bringing order to the chaos that marks Florida’s introduction of vaccines among the most vulnerable residents.
Director Jared Moskowitz described plans for the online portal in an appearance before a House Legislative Commission that held hearings on the Tallahassee pandemic.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has made it a priority to provide coronavirus vaccines to seniors 65 and older, which is in high demand. State health officials usually left it to hospitals and county health departments to administer the vaccines, and some seniors camped in long lines outside vaccination sites but were turned away when supplies ran out.
“I know it feels chaotic – 67 different provinces, systems and interpretations – but health care is delivered at a local level,” Moskowitz told lawmakers. He said a registration system could help ease the tensions the provinces are now suffering as they deliver vaccinations.
“We are working on a registration system that we plan to launch in the coming weeks to help integrate site registration and fix some of the issues we’ve all read about,” he said.
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The design of a statewide online portal is still under discussion and will be made available to counties – who do not need to use the system – to help them coordinate vaccinations.
DeSantis has tried to increase the number of vaccination sites. The state will receive $ 194 million from the federal government to help distribute the vaccines.
As of Wednesday, about 774,000 Floridians 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 start of the pandemic; nearly 24,000 have died.
With states required to supply the federal government, no one can know for sure when enough vaccines will be available to meet demand.
State Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat from the Orlando area, wants government officials to further expand vaccination sites and allow seniors who may not have access to computers and online portals to register for vaccinations by phone or in person.
“It cannot 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.
Florida surgeon general Scott Rivkees told the Senate Health Policy Committee on Wednesday that Florida is getting about a million doses per month – suggesting it could take many months for the general population to be fully vaccinated.
Early data released from phase one and two studies with Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine shows it appears to be safe and generates an immune response
Rivkees, like the governor, has insisted on patience.
“This vaccine is our bright spot,” Rivkees told the committee.
Other vaccines are expected to receive federal approval in the coming months, which will certainly strengthen the state’s ability to vaccinate Florida’s 21.5 million residents.
The senior Democrat in the Senate, Senator Gary Farmer, acknowledged that the state is guilty to the federal government, but criticized DeSantis for his “lack of leadership” in the pandemic. Farmer said distribution of the vaccine is confused due to a lack of a cohesive plan to get the shots in the arms of Floridians.
At some vaccination sites, seniors had to be expelled because vaccination crops had dried up. Appointment websites have crashed due to high demand.
Carlos Suarez has the latest news on vaccine distribution in South Florida, where residents are eager to know how to sign up to get a dose.
“A lot of people ask the question: when will we get the vaccine and what is the timeline like?” asked Senator Aaron Bean, a Republican.
“Is it fair to say that with the current offering, in simple terms, the current offering is a maximum of 22 months?” asked the senator.
Rivkees said he hopes other vaccines will hit the market soon to potentially speed up the timetable.
“We are very hopeful that other vaccines will follow shortly,” Rivkees said.