Mother, daughter vaccinated as vaccine reaches long-term care facilities in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On Friday, River City Rehabilitation in Jacksonville became the first in the area to begin vaccinating residents under the Federal CDC Pharmacy Partnership.

Later in the day, the US added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal, ramping up efforts to combat the outbreak.

About 80 people agreed to receive the vaccine on Friday. On Thursday night, Governor Ron DeSantis said in a tweet that things were running three days ahead of schedule – the Florida Healthcare Association did not expect the vaccine to arrive at the nursing home in northeast Florida until Monday.

Angela Smith took a job as a receptionist at the nursing home at the start of the pandemic to be closer to her 86-year-old mother. She seized the opportunity to get vaccinated against the virus. Her mother also received the vaccine.

More than 7,000 long-term residents and staff died in Florida from COVID-19-related complications on Friday.

Kristen Knapp of the Florida Health Care Association said Florida will see more widespread vaccinations in the state through pharmacies next week.

“The pharmacies come on site, the facilities have room to set up these clinics”, Knapp explains. “It makes it much more streamlined and efficient because the residents are there. We can get them vaccinated. The staff is there. We can also get them vaccinated. “

After a month of divorce, Smith said she would like her mother to reconnect with her family.

“It means a lot to me to allow my mother to see her sisters and my sister, who have a medical condition that my mother cannot see, and her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren,” Smith said.

Baptist Health in Jacksonville said the team remembers receiving the first 250 doses on Friday.

“This is a great day. This is a very exciting day, ”said Kelly Guion, a nursing manager. “I was super excited to get my vaccine and start this journey to get us back to normal.”