DeSantis: Next Pfizer vaccine shipments to Florida on hold

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Hundreds more frontline workers are set to receive their doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this week.

Tampa General Hospital made history earlier this week when it became one of five Florida hospitals to receive doses of the vaccine. The hospital received 20,000 doses, and is expected to vaccinate 400 to 500 people each day.

TGH is also distributing vaccines to other local hospitals like AdventHealth Tampa. On Wednesday, AdventHealth will administer vaccines to 300 workers with the highest risk of exposure. The hospital plans to vaccinate 13,000 staff members over the next several weeks.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said there could be an additional delay in getting vaccines to the state.

“Initially we thought we’d get about 200,000 additional Pfizer doses, and the third week of December, or the last week of December, the third week of the shipments, we were scheduled to get about 250,000,” the governor said.

“Those Week 2 and Week 3 shipments of Pfizer are basically on hold right now. We’re just not sure with the production,” said DeSantis.

The FDA could authorize the Moderna vaccine for emergency use later this week. DeSantis says Florida would get 367,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine by early next week. The state would receive a total of 1.16 million doses of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines by the end of December if things get back on track.

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