Florida became the first state in the country to begin vaccinating long-term care residents, according to Governor Ron DeSantis, who made the announcement on Wednesday at a news conference in Broward County.


What You Need To Know

  • DeSantis says Florida isn’t waiting for federal partnership with drug stores

  • Residents and staff at 112 facilities included in first round, per DeSantis

  • State deploying “strike teams” to vaccinate in long-term care facilities

“Speaking with General Perna from Warp Speed, today marks what he said is the first state to be administering vaccines inside long-term care facilities,” DeSantis said, just before 88-year-old Vera Leip, a resident of John Knox Village in Pompano Beach, received the vaccine in front of media gathered for the event.

Rather than wait for the federal partnership with CVS and Walgreens to begin vaccinations, DeSantis said the state moved forward with its new pilot program Wednesday and began vaccinating LTC residents and staff in Pinellas and Broward Counties using strike teams. Officials with Pinellas County say those teams are each made up of two members of the National Guard and two paramedics.

“We wanted to cut through bureaucracy,” DeSantis said.  “We didn’t want to see delays.”

With an available supply of more than 21,000 Pfizer vaccines, DeSantis said he expects residents and staff at 112 different facilities to receive the first round of the vaccine over the course of the next week.