TAMPA, Fla. — Many Floridians seeking the COVID-19 shot are still struggling to get it.
“It's been a little stressful. I don't know when I'll be able to do it,” a Tampa woman recently told us. A few weeks later, she’s still hunting for the vaccine.
Full report from Katie LaGrone
Stephen Sanford of Venice has also been searching for the shot. His husband suffers from severe lung disease. Sanford said it’s gotten to the point where they are now talking about traveling to another state just to get the boost.
“Yes, of course! I don't need to have my husband die on me from not being able to get a vaccine,” he said.
Local pharmacies are also finding themselves in a bind with the COVID vaccine.
The Health Matters Pharmacy, in Tampa, is waiting for its supply of the COVID vaccine, but isn’t sure it will ever arrive.
“it’s very frustrating,” said Tiara Ross, a Nurse Practitioner there.“We want to get people vaccinated as early and as quickly as possible, but these barriers are going to make it a little bit more difficult,” she said.
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved updated COVID-19 vaccines, but with limits. The shots are currently limited to people at least 65 years old and those younger with certain health conditions and a prescription from their doctor.
The restricted new rules have prompted a wave of confusion among medical professionals and pharmacies, with some of Florida’s most popular drugstores holding off on offering the shot.
At Publix, the COVID-19 vaccine is “currently not available” in Florida, according to its website.
The same applies to Walgreens, where the chain is waiting for the official recommendation from the CDC before offering the shot to Floridians.
On Friday, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunizations will vote on who can receive the COVID vaccine and if insurance will pay for it. The COVID-19 vaccine is the only agenda item for advisory council to discuss on Friday with a final vote expected in the afternoon.
The meeting is expected to be controversial given the influence of the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert Kennedy Jr., a staunch vaccine critic.
While states can set their own rules, Florida’s Department of Health appears to be deliberately evasive about the topic. The agency has refused to provide any clarity despite our weeks of emails seeking answers.
But in a podcast over the weekend, the state’s controversial Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, a vocal critic of the COVID-19 vaccine, announced his hope to shut it down in Florida.
“The MRNA, the goal for that is not to be available to anyone because no-one should be using that one,” he said during the podcast.
Despite all the uncertainty, some Floridians have managed to get the shot.
“I feel lucky,” said Mark Llebow of Port Charlotte. Lebow is over 65 years old and has Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He recently got the booster at a CVS in Venice, but had to wait until he had a prescription from his doctor.
“I think she wanted the prescription just because she's afraid of corporate backlash, or something like that,” he said.
A vaccine that was once encouraged and available to all, is now up in the air and fueling some concerns in Florida that it will become out of reach.
Share Your Story with Katie
Katie LaGrone focuses on making sure Florida’s laws actually work and her investigations have gotten results. If you know of a policy or law that’s not working how it’s intended, send Katie a message below.
.
Homeowners schedule a 'March on the Capitol' to protest Florida's HOAs
A Tampa Bay couple is organizing a march on the state capitol to protest Florida’s homeowners’ associations.
