Florida to receive largest vaccine supply yet
Florida is set to receive next week its largest supply of COVID19 vaccine yet with nearly 700,000 of either the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the initial shots of the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna options.
A major jump in both the J&J and Pfizer supplies is credited for the increase while the Moderna supply remains the same as it has for the last several weeks.
The data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday showed the J&J shipment earmarked for March 29 is 122,900, up from 24,100 this week. The J&J supply, which began with more than 175,000 doses when the vaccine was first given emergency use approval, has been limited the last couple of weeks.
Production of the Pfizer vaccine will also be making a significant jump with 352,170 initial doses slated for Florida, up from 286,650 this week. Moderna remains at 208,000 initial doses. Both the Pfizer and Moderna allotment include an equal number of second doses.
Combining the J&J shots and first doses of the other two vaccines, the state will be getting 683,070 doses, usually delivered from Monday to Wednesday each week. That number is up from this week’s combined allotment of 518,750, an increase of 164,320.
It’s the largest vaccine supply to the state has received yet since the Federal Drug Administration gave its first emergency approvals in December to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The state allotment is being augmented by the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, which delivers directly to Publix, Walmart, Winn-Dixie, CVS and Walgreens locations. In addition, the federal government is the source for the state’s four Federal Emergency Management Agency sites set up for mass vaccination in Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami.
On Monday, Florida began allowing anyone 50 and older to receive the vaccine while the Orange County Convention Center vaccine site is allowing anyone 40 and older to make an appointment. On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state was monitoring the federal supply along with demand, but was not yet ready to announce an expansion of vaccines to a lower age group.
The state initially limited vaccines to those 65 and older before lowering it to 60 and up on March 15 and 50 and up this week.
This marks the ninth straight week with a significant jump in the state’s allotment. In January, the state was only receiving about 265,000 initial doses a week.
The federal government was also responsible for supplying CVS and Walgreens for a program to vaccinate the residents and staff at nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
The state allotment is used however the state sees fit, including whether or not it wants to use its second dose allotment immediately or hold onto them. DeSantis has stated Florida will keep second doses on hand to make sure the vaccines achieve the desired efficacy against COVID-19.
To date, Florida has received or is slated to receive a total of 11,301,800 doses between Pfizer and Moderna in addition to the 346,200 J&J doses. That’s enough to vaccinate 5,997,100 people. The state has a population of 21.5 million.
It has doled them out to hospital systems, county health departments, state-run drive-throughs and the Publix partnership, among other options.
Statewide, 5,057,939 people have received at least one vaccination shot including 2,791,216 who have completed their shot regimen, whether it’s the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna option or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The count is a snapshot through Monday, based on the report released Tuesday. Of those who have received at least the first dose, 3,178,147 are over the age of 65.