Ron DeSantis touts 2M senior vaccinations at Pinellas Park pop-up site

Ron DeSantis.

Gov. Ron DeSantis fielded questions Thursday morning about how the state chooses pop-up sites for vaccines. But unlike at a combative press conference Wednesday, the Republican Governor stayed on message and promised to get shots in the arms of every senior who wants one in the coming weeks.

A day after he threatened to ship vaccines off to communities more welcoming than Manatee County for a boost in boosters, seniors could audibly be heard cheering for shots during a press conference in Pinellas Park.

“Trends are good across Florida,” DeSantis said. “Our hospital census continues to drop in patients with COVID. We’re far below where we were in the summer.”

DeSantis credits that to a ‘Seniors First’ policy. Florida was the first in the nation to offer vaccines to Floridians 65 and older in the general population, not just in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Now, the state has vaccinated roughly 42% of all seniors in the state, he said. He also claimed Florida health officials believe they vaccinated their 2 millionth senior recently. Data released by the Department of Health midday Wednesday shows 1,867,232 individuals age 65 and older have received at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, but DeSantis said those numbers lag behind actual administration of shots.

He also said more than 1,000 seniors have been vaccinated in home visits. In fact, DeSantis shortly before the press conference went with health officers to the home of Largo man Vern Cummings. The 94-year-old was vaccinated in front of TV crews and featured on Fox News.

The Governor said to date, 80% of vaccines administered in Florida went into the arms of senior citizens. He defended the use of points of distribution to reach out to certain populations. The state chose a site in Pinellas because only about 35% of seniors in the county had received vaccinations, lower than the statewide average.

“It’s not just because I grew up in Pinellas County,” he said. “We know you guys need it.”

This site was at Mainlands Community Club House. DeSantis said the Department of Health does not run outreach for these additional sites. But he stressed the 3,000 extra shots directed there will not come out of the regular supplies already going to the Pinellas Department of Health and local hospitals. The state has worked with Publix to vaccinate the public, and the federal government similarly distributes shots through Walmart, and supplies to those retail partners won’t be impacted either, he said.