This week, Florida long-term care residents and staff were among the first in the country to receive the COVID-19 Vaccine, thanks to a pilot program rolled out by the state in Broward and Pinellas counties.
What You Need To Know
- State strike team administers COVID vaccine in Pinellas County
- 97% of residents at Palm Garden of Largo were vaccinated Wednesday
- The team will return next month for the second of two doses
Palm Garden of Largo was one of the first nursing homes in Pinellas County to participate. Vice President Luke Neumann said a so-called strike team arrived just before 9am on Wednesday.
“It was like welcoming conquering heroes. I mean you think about battling the pandemic for nine months, and then seeing the National Guard and health department arrive with this crate full of a potential answer,” Neumann said. “I saw tears. Definitely applause. It was like a parade.”
Neumann was among the 77 employees to get the vaccine. He said he has felt no side effects other than slight soreness at the injection site. Neumann said 97% of the nursing home’s 120 residents were also vaccinated, many of them hopeful it will lead to a return to normalcy.
“We see this as the way forward,” Neumann said. “The light at the end of the tunnel.”
The strike team is scheduled to return to Palm Garden of Largo on January 6th to administer the second round of the Pfizer vaccine.
Governor Ron DeSantis said he expects strike teams to visit 112 facilities over the course of the next week. Along with the pilot program, vaccinations through the federal partnership with Walgreens and CVS are expected to begin Monday.