‘We don’t control supply’: Vaccine drought vexes Jacksonville Mayor

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry

Duval County continues to deal with the challenges of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, and a “first come, first served” situation led to long lines and ensuing irritations at two senior centers Monday.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, a second-term Republican, acknowledged frustrations related to the launches Monday of distribution points.

Jacksonville, said Curry, “is administering COVID-19 vaccinations & exhausting our daily supply. We don’t control supply. We can only provide what we have on a daily basis.”

Supplies, however, are meager, a seeming indictment of vaccine distribution on the federal and state levels relative to Jacksonville.

“Nearly a thousand citizens will be vaccinated daily as long as supply lasts, and as more supply becomes available to our City we will pursue additional locations,” Curry said.

With nearly a million people in Duval County, that pace would set vaccinations to be wrapped by sometime after the next Mayor is elected in 2023.

What is clear is that demand for the vaccinations are far outpacing supply, as lines wrap around buildings and through neighboring parcels.

At two new centers rededicated to vax jabs for the senior set on Monday (Mandarin Senior Center and Lane Wiley Senior Center), lines snaked around the facility and through the parking lot even before sunrise Monday morning, well before the advertised 11 a.m. opening.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has, in a gentle way, acknowledged that his administration can’t seem to source enough vaccine from the White House to accommodate the demands of Florida’s particularly high-risk population.

“Although supplies of vaccine from the federal government remain limited, we are remaining aggressive to stay ahead of the curve so that when supply does come, our infrastructure will be able to process it,” DeSantis said last week in a video message.

Curry’s concerns come as federal lawmakers, including a former Governor of the state, have serious questions about Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ approach to vaccine distribution, an idiosyncratic variation on federal guidelines.

“I am hearing from constituents who are having trouble getting information about the vaccine in their communities,” wrote Sen. Rick Scott to Surgeon General Scott Rivkees. “Many are unable to register through provided phone lines or websites, and are faced with extremely long lines to get the vaccine. What efforts are being undertaken to fix these issues and ensure coordination with local partners so Floridians have all the information they need about where to get the vaccine?”