First lady visits vaccination clinic: We want everyone to be protected

First lady Jill Biden visited a vaccination clinic in Kissimmee Thursday afternoon along with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, promoting the administration’s push to drive up vaccine totals as demand wanes.

The two, along with U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, called on the 44% of Floridians without at least one shot to get vaccinated, citing its safety, effectiveness and the fact that it’s free.

“That’s just not enough,” said Biden of the 56% of eligible Floridians with at least one shot. “We want everyone to be protected.”

The visit follows the administration’s acknowledgment this week that the nation would fall short of its goal of vaccinating 70% of U.S. adults with at least one dose by July 4. Florida, while outperforming its southern neighbors, also will fall short. About 66% of U.S. adults so far are inoculated, and about 63% of those 12 and older have at least one dose.

In Osceola, where Biden visited a health center, about 63% of eligible people have received at least one dose and 66% of eligible people. That county, however, has vaccinated nearly all of its seniors, with more than 95% of them inoculated at least once. Its figures fall in line with the state: 64% of adults have at least one shot.

At the Osceola Community Health Services site off Fortune Road in Kissimmee, Fauci and Biden greeted the occupants of two vehicle loads of people there to get vaccinated.

“Is this a family affair?” Fauci asked the occupants of the first vehicle in line, a white Range Rover, before they were vaccinated. When the second car pulled up, it was Biden who broke the ice.

“Why did you come out today? Was it to see Dr. Fauci?” she asked. When they pulled away, she turned to assembled reporters nearby and exclaimed, “See how easy that was?”

After greeting staff administering vaccines and a few cars in line, Biden and Fauci met with a group of community leaders including Father José Rodríguez, a priest at Jesus of Nazareth Episcopal Church in Azalea Park, Orange County School Board Member Johanna López, State Rep. Anna Eskamani and several others.

Biden opened her remarks addressing the collapse of a condo building in Surfside, where at least 99 people aren’t yet accounted for. She said she and President Joe Biden were saddened by the early morning news.

“Our hearts are really with all Floridians today, as we all woke up to this horrible tragedy on the news,” she said.

In prepared remarks, Soto, D-Kissimmee, said Osceola’s rates needed bolstering.

“Vaccine rates in Florida and Osceola County, particularly in the Hispanic community, are encouraging, but we can do better,” he said.

But it could prove difficult for Florida to drive up its vaccination rate. Since the week of

April 9, when more than 1.3 million doses were administered statewide, the number has dipped nearly every week until it was down to about 373,000 shots the week of June 11, the most recent week available.

The state is also ending its mobile vaccination clinics this week. The clinics popped up throughout Central Florida partnering with churches, local politicians and other groups to reach underserved communities. That leaves much of the burden to local governments and the private sector, where vaccines are available at nearly every private pharmacy, as well as at hospitals, doctor’s offices and urgent care clinics.

At the Osceola site, children aged 12 to 18 can receive a Pfizer vaccine, while adults can choose between Moderna and Johnsn & Johnson shots.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has recently said the Delta variant, first discovered in India, is the greatest threat to the U.S. overcoming COVID-19. On Wednesday, Orange County health officials announced the first dozen cases there and speculated it would be the predominant strain in Central Florida within weeks. Fauci, whom Soto introduced as “America’s doctor,” applauded community organizations and health officials for administering shots and said the nation would defeat COVID-19.

“We will put this behind us,” Fauci said. “Vaccination is the solution.”