It was announced as the beginning of the end of Florida’s long and deadly fight against COVID-19. But a day after front-line health workers began getting vaccinated, Gov. Ron DeSantis said upcoming state vaccine shipments were being delayed.
“We were supposed to get 205,000 Pfizer for next week and then 247,000 for next week. The next two weeks of Pfizer shipments are pending right now,” DeSantis said Tuesday in West Palm Beach. “We don’t know if we’re going to get any out of it.
This is disappointing news for the most vulnerable people to the virus, who were hoping to get vaccinated as soon as possible. DeSantis says the problem is the source.
During the news this afternoon, @GovRonDeSantis said the next two weeks of Pfizer vaccines planned for Florida have been put on hold, with a total of about 450,000 doses.
“We don’t know if we will get any out of it or not. And we’ll just have to wait, ”DeSantis said. @ BN9 # bn9covid19– Cait McVey (@CaitMcVey) December 15, 2020
“It’s a production problem with Pfizer. It has nothing to do with the federal government or anything to do specifically with Florida. That’s just what’s happening across the country, “he said.
Spectrum News is contacting Pfizer for a statement on the governor’s explanation for delayed shipments of vaccines.
DeSantis said he expects the food and drug administration to approve Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use later this week. According to the governor, if that happens, the first shipments will come out over the weekend and Florida expects to receive 370,000 doses in the first round.
This is a developing story. Please check for updates again.