A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis challenged the Joe Biden White House again Tuesday on vaccine distribution, saying that more doses were needed and rejecting the narrative that his administration wasn’t doing enough.
The Governor slammed as “disingenuous” claims from the White House that the state had only distributed roughly half of its vaccines, saying the state was “number one in the country” for vaccinations given among populous states.
This morning I was asked to address recent comments from the White House about Florida’s vaccine allocation. Here is my statement ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/imwvT67sRo
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 26, 2021
DeSantis noted that when he addressed media Monday in Jacksonville, he “explained how these doses work with the second doses coming in.”
“We’re not going to divert second doses away from seniors,” DeSantis said. “Seniors want it. We’re going to do it.”
“If the implication is you should be giving those doses away to other people, that’s not the way the FDA has prescribed it,” he added.
“We’re absolutely committed to that,” he added, reiterating belief in a two-shot regimen.
As he has said previously, the Governor said the state could handle as many as 500,000 first-shot inoculations per week, much more than the 266,000 shots the state gets.
“The possibilities are endless and contingent on getting more of the first dose,” DeSantis contended.
The Governor also swatted away a question about an expanded role for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reiterating his claim that “all we need are more doses.”
DeSantis avoided the inflammatory FEMA camp metaphor he workshopped previously on the subject. instead, he made a more vanilla case for localized resource allocation.
“If it’s taking the current doses and diverting, it’s robbing Peter to pay Paul,” the Governor said of the proposal for federal centralization of vaccination.
“Most Governors are saying the same thing,” he added.
The comments from DeSantis, a potential 2024 presidential candidate on the Republican side, came the morning after spokespeople for the Governor and President bickered about who was to blame for vaccine shortages throughout the state.
DeSantis has said the state is at the “mercy” of the federal government, while Biden’s Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the state had distributed only about half the vaccines the feds provided.
In response, a DeSantis spokesperson decried “misinformation” from the White House regarding Florida’s vaccinations.
The Governor made the most recent comments Tuesday in Vero Beach, where he highlighted the expansion of the Publix COVID-19 vaccination program to 19 Publix pharmacies in Indian River and St. Lucie Counties. All told, the program is in 261 stores and 20 counties throughout the state.
“That’s very convenient, particularly for elderly people,” DeSantis said, noting that registration for shot spots is competitive.
7 comments
Argie Falco
January 26, 2021 at 11:30 am
Our Governor has done a great job!
Sonja Fitch
January 26, 2021 at 11:45 am
My Governor Duffus Desantis still willingly slaughtering Floridians and lies daily about the vaccines! Get out Desantis!
Frankie M.
January 26, 2021 at 12:02 pm
It’s also convenient that Publix is one of his major campaign contributors. Also seniors make up his base because they love them some Trump and DuhSantis is so far up Trump’s arse you can’t tell where he ends & Trump begins. Meanwhile teachers who are exposed all day long can’t even get DuhSantis to acknowledge that he received an email from them asking to be included in the next round of vaccinations. Funny how that works huh?? Maybe teachers should embrace Trumpism so they can get the vaccine too?
DuhSantis clearly is no mathmagician either. He has doses he’s stockpiling because he doesn’t think he will get more doses for the second round of shots from the federal guvmint. DuhSantis continues to blame others while he refuses to put shots in arms. Use up the allotment then get more. Stop hoarding the vaccine DuhSantis. If you don’t get a 2nd round then you can blame Biden all you want but until then you just sound like a sore loser. Time to man up and stop being such a jive ass turkey.
Ticos
January 26, 2021 at 12:19 pm
Desantis has been a follower of trump, and just like trump is a shady character. Make no mistake Mr Desantis, the truth will eventually come out and you know what I’m talking about. I know he won’t read this, but we’ll know this year what this follower of the trump cult has been up to all along.
Marla
January 27, 2021 at 6:10 am
DeSantis has been protecting seniors first from day one and continues to do so.
just sayin
January 27, 2021 at 8:40 am
Frankie, you are extremely naive if you think a $100,000 campaign contribution buys you anything like an exclusive deal to distribute the vaccine. Sadly, it’s a drop in the bucket. And why should a 25 year old teacher, with a 99.9+% chance of surviving COVID, get a dose before a 70 year old?
James Robert Miles
January 28, 2021 at 1:56 pm
Just try to get a vaccine in Palm Beach County. Not even the county health department can give them out. @Marla and Argie; DeSatan is NOT protecting seniors in Palm Beach County with his incompetence!
Comments are closed.