It was heralded as the beginning of the end of Florida’s long and deadly battle against COVID-19. But a day after primary care health workers began to be vaccinated, Governor Ron DeSantis said subsequent shipments of the vaccine are being delayed by the state.
“We were going to get 205,000 Pfizer next week and 247,000 the following week. The next two weeks’ shipments with Pfizer are now on hold, ”DeSantis said in West Palm Beach on Tuesday. ‘We don’t know whether we’ll get one or not. And we’ll just have to wait. “
That’s disappointing news for the people most vulnerable to the virus, who hoped to get vaccinated as soon as possible. DeSantis says the problem is at the source.
During newer late afternoon, @RTLnews said the Pfizer vaccines scheduled for Florida have been put on hold over the next two weeks, totaling about 450,000 doses.
‘We don’t know whether we’ll get one or not. And we’ll just have to wait, ”said DeSantis. @ BN9 # bn9covid19– Cait McVey (@CaitMcVey) December 15, 2020
“It’s a production problem with Pfizer. It has nothing to do with the federal government or anything specific to Florida. This is exactly what is happening nationwide, ”he said.
Spectrum News contacts Pfizer for a statement on the governor’s statement for the delayed vaccine shipments.
DeSantis said he hopes the Food and Drug Administration will approve Moderna’s COVID-19 emergency vaccine by the end of this week. According to the governor, if that happens, the first shipments will go out over the weekend and Florida will receive 370,000 doses in the first round.
This is a story in progress. Check back regularly for updates.