How Florida is failing its most vulnerable seniors with Covid vaccine rollout

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Sat, 2021-01-09 13:08 — mike kraft

How Florida is failing its most vulnerable seniors with Covid vaccine rollout Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis opened up the distribution of the coronavirus vaccines to anyone over 65. But that has left many vulnerable seniors confused as to how they can get it. Rosa Flores and Denise Royal, CNN CNN

Miami (CNN) Wendy Walsh has gone from frustrated to angry about the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine in Florida. She wants her mom protected, fearing that if the 92-year-old gets the virus, it's essentially a death sentence.

Like thousands of Floridians desperate for the lifesaving shot for themselves or an elderly loved one, she is left wondering who is in charge and why some of the most vulnerable are still waiting. Florida has recorded more than 1.4 million cases of coronavirus and more than 22,000 deaths since the pandemic began, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. State data shows about 83% of deaths were of people 65 or older.

The Covid-19 vaccine distribution in Florida started out smoothly four weeks ago, with frontline healthcare workers getting the first shots. A week later, seniors living in long-term care facilities began getting the vaccine. That's when Walsh thought her mom would get one.

As doses of vaccines flowed into Florida by the tens of thousands, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order on distribution. Instead of following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prioritize essential workers and those over 75, he offered the vaccine to all the state's 4.5 million seniors 65 and older.

That sparked overwhelming demand. Thousands of seniors across the state waited in lines, some slept overnight in their cars or on lawn chairs to get inoculated at vaccination centers. Others maneuvered through jammed phone lines and crashed websites to get appointments.

And some would just show up, hoping to get lucky and get a shot. But tens of thousands of others -- perhaps less healthy, perhaps with fewer resources -- were left out.

When CNN asked DeSantis what went wrong with the rollout of the vaccine in his state, he interrupted and said the demand was high. After a contentious exchange, during which he told CNN to investigate why seniors camped out overnight, he blamed local hospitals and health officials.

"These guys [local hospitals] are much more competent to be able to deliver healthcare services than a state government could ever be," he said.

But Broward County Mayor Steve Geller says it is the state government that is still in charge, with a governor giving unrealistic expectations. ...

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