DeSantis details rollout of COVID-19 medicines, vaccines in Florida

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said millions of doses of a vaccine to combat the COVID-19 pandemic are ready to be shipped to the Sunshine State.

DeSantis said they can go out as early as 24 hours after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the vaccine. That means Floridians could have them here in about three to six weeks. DeSantis called it a ray of hope for the Sunshine State.

“They offer the prospect of saving thousands and thousands of lives and to potentially bring this pandemic to an end,” he said.

DeSantis said a cocktail of meds that could keep COVID-19 patients from being hospitalized is already en-route to local hospitals, with thousands of doses arriving each week.

“It's best used for people at high risk of severe complications from COVID-19, and the key is to deliver the IV as soon in the infection as possible.”

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In the pipeline, he said, were vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna that were awaiting FDA approval.

“The State of Florida has identified five different hospital systems that have the ability to store the vaccine at those temperatures and administer that to the qualifying individuals.”

DeSantis said long-term care facilities were also getting ready for shipments to help the state's most vulnerable residents.

“So far, nearly 2,000 long-term care facilities have registered so they can start getting residents vaccinated as soon as the vaccine arrives.”

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AdventHealth did say that medical workers and first responders would be first-in-line for the vaccines. They said any drive-up administering of the vaccines would likely not be happening until the Spring.

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