Florida Department of Health Provides Week 14 Updates on Florida’s Vaccination Efforts Under Governor DeSantis’ Leadership

Florida Division of Emergency Management sent this bulletin at 03/19/2021 03:10 PM EDT

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 19, 2021

Contact: Joint Information Center on COVID-19 for the State of Florida (850) 815-4940, ESF14@em.myflorida.com

Florida Department of Health Provides Week 14 Updates on Florida’s Vaccination Efforts Under Governor DeSantis’ Leadership
~COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Expanded to All Individuals Ages 50 and Older~

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Today, the Florida Department of Health issued an update on the progress of the state's vaccination efforts, as well as its weekly COVID-19 update. The State of Florida is in its fourteenth week of vaccine distribution and is continuing to increase vaccine access statewide.

Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 21-67 to expand eligibility for prioritized vaccine populations in the state of Florida. Eligible individuals now include:

  • Long-term care facility residents and staff;
  • Persons 50 years of age and older; and
  • Health care personnel with direct patient contact.

To find the full Executive Order and a list of state-supported and federally-supported vaccination sites, visit FloridaDisaster.org/Vaccine.

Governor DeSantis’ administration is taking the necessary steps to ensure the vaccine gets administered as quickly as possible. This week, new actions to continue Florida’s proactive approach to vaccinations includes the following:

Vaccinations:

To provide Floridians with the latest information about vaccinations in the state, the Florida Department of Health has issued a COVID-19 vaccine report that is updated daily. This report includes information on the COVID-19 vaccine by county, race, sex and age. Find the COVID-19 vaccine report here.

As of today, at 7 a.m., 4,710,033 individuals have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in Florida; 3,082,731 million are seniors ages 65 and older. 

State of Florida Vaccine Accomplishments To-Date:

Week 14 (Underway)

  • Governor DeSantis expanded eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to all individuals 50 years of age and older beginning Monday, March 22. The state is committed to providing a vaccine for every individual who wants one the state continues to receive allocations. Executive Order 21-67 is available here.

  • This week, Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz highlighted Florida’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts. The state remains a national leader on vaccine distribution by prioritizing the vaccine for those who need it most and becoming the first state in the nation to partner with retail pharmacy partners for vaccinations and sending state strike teams to vaccinate long-term care facilities. Florida is also one of the first states in the nation to partner with the faith-based community to administer the vaccine in underserved areas. Governor DeSantis’ announcement is available here.

  • At the Governor’s direction, a permanent COVID-19 vaccination site was opened at The Centre in Palm Harbor. The Centre began operating on Wednesday, March 17 and will administer Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson vaccines every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for seniors in the Pinellas County area. Governor DeSantis’ announcement is available here.

  • Governor DeSantis announced the opening of a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination site at A.D. Harris Learning Center in Panama City. The site began operating on Thursday, March 18 and will administer a total of 1,500 Johnson and Johnson vaccines across three days for seniors in the Bay County area. Governor DeSantis’ announcement is available here.

  • At the Governor’s direction, a permanent COVID-19 vaccination site was opened at the Bucky Dent Park Gymnasium in Hialeah. The site began operating on Monday, March 15 and will administer Pfizer vaccines every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for seniors in the Miami-Dade County area. Find more information on this location here.
  • The state has begun hosting mobile, one-day vaccination clinics in partnership with local community organizations to increase vaccine access to all Floridians. This weekend, the state is hosting three mobile vaccination sites for all eligible individuals. Appointments are not necessary and all locations are open from 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. Each site will offer the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. 
    • Community Health Outreach
      5126 Timuquana Road
      Jacksonville, FL 32210
      March 20
    • Joe Celestin Center
      1525 NW 135th Street
      North Miami, FL 33167
      March 20 – March 22
    • Feeding Tampa Bay – Hillsborough Community College
      4001 W Tampa Bay Blvd
      Tampa, FL 33614
      March 20
  • This week, Governor Ron DeSantis sent a letter to Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson and Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Chris Sprowls outlining how to utilize a portion of federal funds the state is expected to receive via the recently signed American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The Governor’s recommendations include providing assistance to Floridians in need and making major investments in critical areas such as infrastructure, education and workforce development to continue Florida’s rapid economic recovery. The Governor also invests in Florida’s security with a recommended $1 billion for the creation of an Emergency Management Response Fund. Governor DeSantis’ announcement is available here.

  • This week, Governor Ron DeSantis held a public health roundtable with renowned doctors and epidemiologists to discuss Florida’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics discussed included lockdowns, non-pharmaceutical interventions and vaccinations. Governor DeSantis’ announcement is available here.

  • At the Governor’s direction, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Health continue to identify places of worship and other locations in underserved communities where the COVID-19 vaccine may be administered. To date, more than 82,000 individuals have been vaccinated in partnership with places of worship. This week, the state is hosting seven vaccination events with faith-based communities. Find this week’s locations here.

  • At the Governor’s direction, the Florida Division of Emergency Management continues to identify homebound individuals to be vaccinated statewide. To date, more than 3,500 homebound seniors have been vaccinated, including Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans. More than 4,000 homebound individuals have signed up to be visited by state teams through the Division’s community outreach, and more than half will receive vaccine doses this weekend. To request a vaccine, email HomeboundVaccine@em.myflorida.com.

  • Under Governor DeSantis' leadership, more than 1,100 vaccination sites have been opened statewide in partnership with local communities and hospitals. The Florida Department of Health continues to identify active vaccine sites. All vaccine sites in Florida are posted on the Florida Department of Health's website here. 

Last week’s accomplishments are available here.

About the Florida Department of Health

The Florida Department of Health, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @HealthyFla. For more information please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

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