DeSantis defends vaccine rollout

Gov. says ‘putting seniors first was the right decision’

“Putting seniors first was the right decision,”the governor said. He touted statistics showing that almost 350,000 people older than 65 had received a dose.

Gov. Ron DeSantis defended Florida’s rollout of the vaccine to older and vulnerable residents at The Villages mega-retirement community on Tuesday, saying he was ahead of other states in prioritizing seniors.

Long lines, faulty appointment websites, jammed phone lines and blindsided local officials marred Florida’s push to offer the shot to seniors.

But DeSantis said he made the right call to rush out the vaccine to seniors. He touted state statistics showing that almost 350,000 people older than 65 had received their first dose as of Tuesday.

“Putting seniors first was the right decision,” DeSantis said. “If you look at Florida in terms of the number of shots that we have for senior citizens, we are leading the country by a country mile on this. The vast majority of our shots have gone to people 65 and up.”

DeSantis broke with initial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which would have put essential workers like grocery store employees, teachers and postal workers ahead of healthy seniors between the ages of 65-74.

On Tuesday, officials said the Trump administration is asking states to speed delivery of the vaccine to seniors by not holding back the second dose.

DeSantis said that new guidance shows he made the right call, and other states will follow Florida’s lead. About 57% of people getting their first dose of the shot have been 65 years or older, according to data from the Florida Department of Health.

That percentage is much higher than other states, according to an analysis of state-level data by the governor’s office. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not tracking vaccinations by age. When looking at federal data, Florida ranks No. 19 in terms of the number of COVID-19 vaccines given per 100,000 residents, according to the latest CDC data available.

Democrats have criticized DeSantis for the messy rollout and reports of the wealthy skipping to the front of line.

“This is a lack of leadership from the governor’s office,” Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried told WPBF 25. “The buck has got to stop with him. The people who have access and have financial wealth are actually getting to the top of the lines.”

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican and former Florida governor, questioned why visitors, including foreign nationals, are getting the shot before Floridians.

A prominent Argentine lawyer, business leaders and Canadians whose home countries restrict vaccines to first-responders, medical personnel and a few other groups have been able to get the shot in Florida.

DeSantis said Florida is home to many snowbirds, and they shouldn’t be denied the vaccine just because they are not a year-round resident of the state. The people traveling to Florida in search of the vaccine shows the state is doing a good job getting it out to seniors, he said.

“You have literally people all over the world and all over the country calling here to see,” DeSantis said. “We’re not doing it for tourists. We’re not doing it for interlopers.”