DeSantis' Vaccine Distribution Criticized By U.S. House Democrats

Bradenton FL

28 January, 2021

9:41 PM

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FLORIDA — Three of Florida's congressional Democrats slammed Gov. Ron DeSantis' vaccine distribution process in the Sunshine State and called for a more streamlined system, Florida Politics reported. U.S. Representatives Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel and Debbie Wasserman Schultz criticized Florida's vaccine rollout during a virtual news conference Thursday. In Florida, the vaccine has been available to frontline health care workers and those 65 and older for the past month, but many seniors have struggled to secure appointments because of tech issues with various county's registration systems and a limited vaccine supply. The three congressional representatives are calling for a more coordinated distribution plan, a streamlined statewide registration system and more transparency from DeSantis' administration. Deutch said he recognizes that each state is facing a vaccine shortage, "but it is no excuse for the chaos that we are seeing here in Florida," according to WCTV. "People have driven across the state. They've waited overnight. They've waited for hours on phone lines. They've logged in to crashing websites," he said. "We need a system that makes it easier for the people of Florida to simply raise their hands and say 'I'm ready to get my vaccine' and for them to know where to stand in line, when they can get an appointment and where they can go to get it." DeSantis had a year to prepare for the vaccine, since the start of the pandemic Wasserman Schultz said, according to Florida Politics. "It's not like we didn't know that we had to prepare to vaccinate everyone in our state," she said. "But his initial launch has been marked by widespread chaos, confusion and frustration." DeSantis was also recently criticized by the White House for Florida's using only about half the vaccine supply it's received from the federal government. The governor called the claim "disingenuous." The criticism comes as coronavirus cases continue to rise in Florida. According to state data, more than 11,000 new cases were reported Thursday, bringing the total number of cases in Florida since the pandemic began to 1,687,594.