‘Today, we will have shots going in arms.’ Gov. DeSantis watches first vaccines in Tampa

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis welcomed 20,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to Tampa General Hospital on Monday morning, calling it a “historic” achievement in the fight against the pandemic.

“Today, we will have shots going in arms,” DeSantis said. “We will have healthcare workers getting vaccinated much faster than anyone could have anticipated six months ago. God bless America.”

Moments later, DeSantis watched a 31-year-old nurse receive the first dosage of the vaccine through a shot administered in her left arm.

The vials arrived in Tampa via FedEx at 10 a.m. By Tuesday morning, Tampa General and four other Florida hospitals will have 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, the first to receive emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. CVS and Walgreens as well as the state will have another 80,000 doses ready by the end of the week to hand out to Florida’s most vulnerable residents in nursing homes and other senior long-term care facilities.

DeSantis said he expects the federal government to approve another vaccine candidate from Moderna by the end of the week, and 365,000 doses will arrive in the state just ahead of the Christmas holiday.

In all, Florida could receive between 700,000 and 1 million doses by the end of the year.

“This is 20,000 doses of hope,” said John Couris, President and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. “This is the beginning to the end. This is monumental if you’re sitting in our shoes caring for the patients who need us the most.”

This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 12:21 PM with the headline "‘Today, we will have shots going in arms.’ Gov. DeSantis watches first vaccines in Tampa."