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I split my time year round between Southwest Florida and the Chicago burbs. I am seeing first hand what is happening in Florida right now.
Florida is getting out vaccines as fast as they come in. Last week, Governor DeSantis told hospitals that they either get the vaccines into arms immediately or their allocation will go to hospitals that do. So every dose they get is going into arms. There is huge demand and appointments fill up immediately. It is like dialing/clicking to get Cubs World Series tickets. For example, last week Lee County had 5000 doses to inject over three days. When the reservation system opened up they got 84,000 calls in one minute! Every dose was injected. This week they got 1,800 more doses. When the reservation system opened, 50,000 calls in the first minute and it was booked up in less than five minutes. Collier County has the same issue but is spreading out the sites by using 16 Publix locations and an internet sign up, but the same thing is happening. Florida is getting shots into arms far faster than almost anywhere else, but there is just an extraordinary amount of demand since Governor DeSantis went against the CDC and opened up to all 65 and over right after nursing homes and hospital workers were handled, which was done very quickly. Now the CDC is following DeSantis' model. There are no doses just sitting in storage like in many other states due to stupid rules or getting thrown out like in New York.
People who are part time residents of Florida and who have been coming down here for years, are here as usual. Since this is a federal program, they cannot be denied if they meet the criteria. It is a myth that other people who normally would not be here are coming down for a chance to get vaccinated. Anyone from anywhere can jump into the reservation sites when they open. If they get lucky, they fly down, get the shot, and fly back. Really easy for Lee County where the vaccination site is on the airport property (RSW). If they don't get lucky, they stay where they are and try again. They don't come down to Florida just to dial a phone or click on a link. Also, Floridians are going to other states as well where they think their chances are better. South Carolina seems to be a place where one can get a reservation and get in and out quickly and is not that long of a long drive from northeast Florida (e.g., Jacksonville area).
I am on "the list" in Lake County, IL and try to get an appointment in Lee and Collier Counties in Florida when appointments open. The way Illinois is plodding along, I might end up waiting until next year, despite being over 65. In Florida, I at least have a chance and can hang out at my house here for however long it takes. If by some miracle Lake County calls, I'll just fly back.
If you ask me, it would not be a bad thing if Florida seniors don’t get vaccinated. They voted for Trump so you reap what you sow. I hope they all get Covid to be honest with you. Nothing like poetic justice.
If you ask me, it would not be a bad thing if Florida seniors don’t get vaccinated. They voted for Trump so you reap what you sow. I hope they all get Covid to be honest with you. Nothing like poetic justice.
What a ridiculous comment. 75 million people voted for Trump, including me. The most votes ever for any president in any party in the history of the country before 2020. You want us all dead? Without Trump, there would not be any vaccines at all. His administration cut what is normally a 5 to 10 year process down to months by cutting all the regulatory red tape and de-risking the efforts by the drug companies by pouring billions into Operation Warp Speed. If it were up to the CDC, there would not have been a vaccine until mid-decade.
DeSantis is the model for the way governors should have handled the Covid crisis. Florida has far better numbers than the lock down states, including Illinois, all the while keeping the state open, keeping schools open, never having had a statewide mask mandate, and focusing on the most vulnerable first. The shut downs have clearly not stopped the spread of the disease (probably made it worse by driving people inside and underground) but the shutdowns did manage to destroy economies and the lives of business owners while widening the achievement gap between lower income and higher income students. Nice job by Pritzker, Cuomo, Newsom, Murphy, and their blue state cohorts. That has not happened in Florida.
What a ridiculous comment. 75 million people voted for Trump, including me. The most votes ever for any president in any party in the history of the country before 2020. You want us all dead? Without Trump, there would not be any vaccines at all. His administration cut what is normally a 5 to 10 year process down to months by cutting all the regulatory red tape and de-risking the efforts by the drug companies by pouring billions into Operation Warp Speed. If it were up to the CDC, there would not have been a vaccine until mid-decade.
DeSantis is the model for the way governors should have handled the Covid crisis. Florida has far better numbers than the lock down states, including Illinois, all the while keeping the state open, keeping schools open, never having had a statewide mask mandate, and focusing on the most vulnerable first. The shut downs have clearly not stopped the spread of the disease (probably made it worse by driving people inside and underground) but the shutdowns did manage to destroy economies and the lives of business owners while widening the achievement gap between lower income and higher income students. Nice job by Pritzker, Cuomo, Newsom, Murphy, and their blue state cohorts. That has not happened in Florida.
For someone who voted for Trump to tell me that my comments are ridiculous? Using same Republican Trump logic, which you should know full well, yes they should all suffer one way or the other. You should know that logic best. You are quick to give Trump credit for the vaccine, fine, it happened under his watch so he shall get the credit that he doesn't even want. He wants nothing to do with Covid. Doesn't even acknowledge it. Doesn't want to help states distribute it. Other wise you would have vaccine on your arm already if that person you voted for declined to help. Wants nothing to do with it. Watch what happens when Biden gets in. Would you give Biden the credit? Of course not, you are republican. FYI, I come from line of republicans. I used to consider myself as such. Even til when he got voted in. Once I started seeing what he did or did not do, it was very clear to me that this is not a good person, let alone be a president.
Are you for good or are you for bad? Or don't care as long as low taxes? Lets also give him credit for the host of other stuff he did or didn't do no other president has ever done, in a bad way. You voted for the worst president of the United States. Congrats you American Patriot you.
Pat yourself on the back like a DeSatanist!
What a ridiculous comment. 75 million people voted for Trump, including me. The most votes ever for any president in any party in the history of the country before 2020. You want us all dead? Without Trump, there would not be any vaccines at all. His administration cut what is normally a 5 to 10 year process down to months by cutting all the regulatory red tape and de-risking the efforts by the drug companies by pouring billions into Operation Warp Speed. If it were up to the CDC, there would not have been a vaccine until mid-decade.
DeSantis is the model for the way governors should have handled the Covid crisis. Florida has far better numbers than the lock down states, including Illinois, all the while keeping the state open, keeping schools open, never having had a statewide mask mandate, and focusing on the most vulnerable first. The shut downs have clearly not stopped the spread of the disease (probably made it worse by driving people inside and underground) but the shutdowns did manage to destroy economies and the lives of business owners while widening the achievement gap between lower income and higher income students. Nice job by Pritzker, Cuomo, Newsom, Murphy, and their blue state cohorts. That has not happened in Florida.
The general concept of the mRNA vaccine has been in process for about a decade, so let's not misrepresent that Trump should get much credit for the vaccine as some sort of miracle timeline. Additionally, he literally could've saved lives by keeping his mouth shut or just teling people to mask up. His administration gets some credit, but I'll give most of it to the pharma companies. Also, I have no idea why the vaccine roll-out is so slow at this point.
Second, I disagree about DeSantis. Florida has one of the most ideal situations to do things outdoors year round. I had a friend post on social media how they were doing church outside on Christmas day in Florida. Can't do that in IL unless you want to freeze your butt off. Same with outdoor eating. There's also significantly less public transit use in Florida than cities like Chicago, New York or Boston. I think schools could've been open safely (with safety measures in place) in IL the entire time, so I will give DeSantis credit for ensuring schools remained open. It's a different situation that needed to be managed differently around the country. Also, the virus was circulating in places like Washington, Chicago, New York and Massachusetts weeks before it even caught on in Florida, when everyone in mid-March was saying "are we doing this, are we really locking everything down, etc"? Again, I had friends in Florida start working from home on March 16th just like I did, not because DeSantis did anything, but their employers did something, so they weren't as behind the 8 ball.
Third, I didn't vote for Trump, but I agree with you that it is wrong to say anyone that voted for Trump doesn't deserve the vaccine. I have relatives that voted for him that definitely didn't treat COVID as a joke and have been really cautious, didn't support the events of last week, understood he lost the election, etc. I don't think I can put 74 million people in one bucket, even though I may be inclined to, just like how not all Democrats are in favor of looting, arson, etc.
At any rate, Indonesia had an interesting idea to vaccinate the 18-59 population first to reduce the spread. We'll see how that goes. I think it was appropriate to put healthcare workers and the most vulnerable elderly first. I think most places misunderstood how many employees or patients would not take it initially. I think about a month after it becomes available to the next group (65+ and essential workers) that we'll see more progress in the drop in hospitalizations and deaths.
Yeah, they are but they can’t get them either any sooner unless they’re rich and connected. They can come here all they want. What makes them think that Florida has any more vaccines than where they are? I guess people from Alabama are coming over. Old, stupid, stubborn, republican. Not very smart. Come see if you get it any faster. It’s very hilarious to me these same people who said they don’t need mask, etc....They are the first ones in line with arms rolled up and masks on. Then they btch, moan that they could not get appointments. Well it’s your dam party that mucked this all up so continue to suffer your butts off in my point of view.
Some Canadians snowbirds are definitely trying because in Canada, they’ve not yet begun. But by the time they get here, they will see how slow the process is here. They won’t get it here either. And then, Canada probably will start doing it and they’ll do it faster and they will have to go back to get it.
Pure comedy these old hags who voted for Trump, the biggest Covid failure in the world complaining they can’t get vaccines. But hey, he lowered taxes, right?(in their dreams)
The only thing I've read is that some Canadian snowbirds who flouted the request of the Canadian government to not travel, have travelled to Florida to stay at their winter homes. The article I read mentioned one couple and I have no idea how many Canadians are actually in Florida right now. The article was about how those Canadians got the vaccine in Florida because they weren't checking peoples residency etc.
I haven't seen any stories regarding Canadians purposely travelling to the US for a shot. It doesn't make sense.
Vaccination has started in Canada, so not sure where you got that from. Here in BC indigenous communities have all had their first shot, all people in care homes have had their first shot, and caseworkers etc.
I also know of friends parents in care homes in Ontario have also had their first shot.
I'm in the third and last group that will get the vaccine and that will be in early July.
For someone who voted for Trump to tell me that my comments are ridiculous? Using same Republican Trump logic, which you should know full well, yes they should all suffer one way or the other. You should know that logic best. You are quick to give Trump credit for the vaccine, fine, it happened under his watch so he shall get the credit that he doesn't even want. He wants nothing to do with Covid. Doesn't even acknowledge it. Doesn't want to help states distribute it. Other wise you would have vaccine on your arm already if that person you voted for declined to help. Wants nothing to do with it. Watch what happens when Biden gets in. Would you give Biden the credit? Of course not, you are republican. FYI, I come from line of republicans. I used to consider myself as such. Even til when he got voted in. Once I started seeing what he did or did not do, it was very clear to me that this is not a good person, let alone be a president.
Are you for good or are you for bad? Or don't care as long as low taxes? Lets also give him credit for the host of other stuff he did or didn't do no other president has ever done, in a bad way. You voted for the worst president of the United States. Congrats you American Patriot you.
Pat yourself on the back like a DeSatanist!
The general concept of the mRNA vaccine has been in process for about a decade, so let's not misrepresent that Trump should get much credit for the vaccine as some sort of miracle timeline. Additionally, he literally could've saved lives by keeping his mouth shut or just teling people to mask up. His administration gets some credit, but I'll give most of it to the pharma companies. Also, I have no idea why the vaccine roll-out is so slow at this point.
Second, I disagree about DeSantis. Florida has one of the most ideal situations to do things outdoors year round. I had a friend post on social media how they were doing church outside on Christmas day in Florida. Can't do that in IL unless you want to freeze your butt off. Same with outdoor eating. There's also significantly less public transit use in Florida than cities like Chicago, New York or Boston. I think schools could've been open safely (with safety measures in place) in IL the entire time, so I will give DeSantis credit for ensuring schools remained open. It's a different situation that needed to be managed differently around the country. Also, the virus was circulating in places like Washington, Chicago, New York and Massachusetts weeks before it even caught on in Florida, when everyone in mid-March was saying "are we doing this, are we really locking everything down, etc"? Again, I had friends in Florida start working from home on March 16th just like I did, not because DeSantis did anything, but their employers did something, so they weren't as behind the 8 ball.
Third, I didn't vote for Trump, but I agree with you that it is wrong to say anyone that voted for Trump doesn't deserve the vaccine. I have relatives that voted for him that definitely didn't treat COVID as a joke and have been really cautious, didn't support the events of last week, understood he lost the election, etc. I don't think I can put 74 million people in one bucket, even though I may be inclined to, just like how not all Democrats are in favor of looting, arson, etc.
At any rate, Indonesia had an interesting idea to vaccinate the 18-59 population first to reduce the spread. We'll see how that goes. I think it was appropriate to put healthcare workers and the most vulnerable elderly first. I think most places misunderstood how many employees or patients would not take it initially. I think about a month after it becomes available to the next group (65+ and essential workers) that we'll see more progress in the drop in hospitalizations and deaths.
You are right that those experimental mRNA vaccines had been in development for some time (30 years with none ever approved), but they were getting nowhere until the administration cut the red tape to allow for those vaccines to move forward and funded and de-risked some of the companies. Without that having happened, we would still have no vaccines at this point as the bureaucrats at the CDC wait for their umpteenth study to be completed. Remember, nRNA vaccines had been repeatedly rejected for three decades.
The thing that sets Florida apart was that DeSantis and his health department never blindly followed the ever changing positions of the CDC and NIH and heaven forbid, WHO. Having been in Congress, he knew that those agencies are slow moving bureaucratic institutions that were removed from what was actually happening on the ground and so were always behind and mired in bureaucratic group think. Rather, he and his team relied on actual medical experts in private practice and large university hospitals that had very current information. That led to a huge difference in how the pandemic was approached between Florida versus Illinois, New York, California, New Jersey, etc. In Florida, leaders did not and do not talk in absolutes like leaders in the lockdown states do. Florida leaders say, here is what is proven (not much), here is what is unproven (a lot), here is what are anecdotal observations but not scientifically proven (almost everything). Now, act accordingly based on your specific circumstances. Just put all the information out there, even though it is conflicting information, make recommendations, follow the suggestions yourself, and no broad shutdowns or mandates. And focus on what is important. Deaths, not case counts. The shutdown governors like Pritzker speak like they know for sure when in fact very little has been proven. And then they arbitrarily shut down businesses and try to control everything they can while crippling their state. With worse results.
Three things DeSantis said really stuck with me (and I am paraphrasing here). First, he said no one should lose their livelihood because of a government edict. Second, when asked by reporters why he did not get the vaccine, he replied....."I am an elected official. Whoop de do. That vaccination should go to a hospital worker or elderly at risk person before it goes to me". Last, he said that closing schools in the US was probably the single stupidest thing that was done in the last 50 years.
Florida is not the wild wild west. People do wear masks when they think it is appropriate. Some businesses require masks in their stores. Restaurants are open indoor and outdoor with varying internal rules and people then decide if they are comfortable or not eating there. Basically personal responsibility. And the results show that Florida has fared better than the shutdown states with managing Covid while at the same time, keeping their economy open.
One last interesting observation. A peer reviewed international scientific study led by Stanford University was released on January 5, but not surprisingly, was not reported by the media until this week. It found in all ten countries studied, lockdowns had no appreciable effect in stopping the spread of Covid 19. All that happened is that economies and lives were destroyed for no good reason while Covid just kept spreading.
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