Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Ron DeSantis DeSantis defends Florida over lack of detailed vaccine distribution plan Trump to attack Biden in CPAC speech Palm Beach County officials refuse order to lower flags for Limbaugh MORE (R) defended his state's vaccine distribution plan Wednesday, after critics argued that it didn't have enough detail or structure, the Tampa Bay Times reports . The Sunshine State is following a one-step-at-a-time approach as it works to vaccinate its population. From the beginning, DeSantis has vowed to prioritize those who are 65 and older but hasn't provided many details about who else may be next up. DeSantis argued Wednesday during a press conference that not following a structured plan has worked in the state's favor, as it's giving them more flexibility to adapt as they go. ADVERTISEMENT "If you notice, a lot of those (states) adopted plans, and then they’ve already had to change the plans," DeSantis said, according to the Times. “We haven’t done that.” On Tuesday, DeSantis signaled that educators and law enforcement officers aged 50+ could be up next for priority, but didn't share any substantial details, which he said will come some time next week, the Times reports. State Rep. Blaise Ingoglia echoed DeSantis's sentiments about Florida's lax vaccine plan, saying, “We are approaching this pandemic in ways that other states are not." He continued, "What other states are getting wrong, I believe that this governor is getting right." Florida has vaccinated 2,792,118 people to date, and 1,492,509 of those people have received both doses, according to the state's Department of Health . Tags Tampa Bay Times Ron DeSantis Florida COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine   ...
Vaccines
Hungary Becomes First Country in Europe to Administer Chinese Sinopharm Vaccine
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) – Doctors in Hungary on Wednesday began administering a COVID-19 vaccine developed in China, making the country the first European Union nation to use a Chinese jab as officials aim to bolster trust in its safety and effectiveness. General practitioners around the Central European country were instructed to administer the shots, developed by Chinese state-owned company Sinopharm, to elderly patients. The Sinopharm jab brings the number of vaccines currently in use in Hungary to five including the Russian-developed Sputnik V, more than in any other country in the 27-nation EU. But for the country’s expanded palette of vaccines to be put to full use, officials are seeking to increase lagging public trust in those produced in Eastern countries. “I ask for all fears to be dispelled about the Chinese and Russian vaccines, because more than 30 million people have received these vaccines without any particular problems,” Hungary’s chief medical officer, Cecilia Muller, said at a virtual media briefing Wednesday. Chief Eurocrat Admits EU Made Mistakes that Resulted in Vaccine Fiasco https://t.co/wMu4aBJQ1W — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 11, 2021 Hungary´s government has sharply criticized the speed of the EU´s vaccine procurement program, and sought to purchase doses from countries like China and Russia despite polling that shows trust in those vaccines is low among Hungarians. A survey of 1,000 people in the capital of Budapest by pollster Median and the 21 Research Center showed that among those willing to be vaccinated, only 27% would take a Chinese vaccine and 43% a Russian vaccine, compared to 84% who would take a jab developed in Western countries. The poll, which was conducted at the end of January, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3%. Still, Hungarian officials expect that the Sinopharm vaccine, which received final approval last week, will provide a sharp boost in the country´s vaccination rate: ...
39,725 Minutes! Painfully Long Waits On Vaccine Website As Thousands Of New Appointments Are Filled
BOSTON (CBS) – Fifty thousand new appointments for the state’s mass COVID-19 vaccination sites went online Thursday morning and were quickly taken as thousands of people faced extremely long waits on the website. Gov. Charlie Baker said tech experts worked all week to make sure the website was ready for the surge of traffic when the appointments went live at 8 a.m. Some reported it crashed for them about an hour later. The governor hoped a new digital waiting room would improve the experience, but it was infuriating for many. Several people were told they will have to wait for days to get out of the waiting room. Denise Witherell emailed WBZ-TV with a screen shot of her waiting time – 39,725 minutes. That’s more than 27 days. (Photo credit: Denise Witherell) But some people were able to make appointments. WBZ-TV’s Liam Martin said it took “a lot of patience” but he was eventually able to get through and book something. “It appears the state is adding slots piece-meal throughout the day,” he tweeted. With a lot of patience, I was able to get through and book. It appears the state is adding slots piece-meal throughout the day. Good luck, all! — Liam Martin (@LiamWBZ) February 25, 2021 Just before 9:30 a.m. the state tweeted that the 50,000 new appointments were “nearly all filled.” “If you have not been able to schedule an appointment yet, please try again next week – it may take several attempts over the course of a few weeks to get an open slot,” the state said. The vaccine website crashed last Thursday when one million residents 65 and older and those with two medical conditions became eligible to make appointments on February 18. Baker will testify Thursday morning before the legislature’s coronavirus oversight committee looking into the state’s bumpy vaccine rollout. You can watch it live on CBSN Boston at 11 a.m. To book your appointment at any of the sites visit Mass.Gov/CovidVaccine to find out when you’re ...
Pentagon chief underscores safety of COVID-19 vaccine amid some service members’ refusal
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Lloyd Austin Overnight Defense: New Senate Armed Services chairman talks Pentagon policy nominee, Afghanistan, more | Biden reads report on Khashoggi killing | Austin stresses vaccine safety in new video Pentagon chief underscores safety of COVID-19 vaccine amid some service members' refusal Biden to speak with Saudi king 'soon' as pressure builds for Khashoggi report MORE on Wednesday released a video stressing the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine following last week’s revelation that nearly a third of service members who have been offered the shot have refused to take it. In the video, addressed to the U.S. military workforce, Austin encourages service members and personnel to seek out information on the vaccine from government websites including those of the CDC and the Defense Department. ADVERTISEMENT “When you do, you’ll see that these vaccines have undergone intensive safety monitoring. You’ll also see that they are safe and they are effective. And you’ll see that millions of your fellow citizens have already taken them with little to no side effects,” Austin said. Austin also notes that he received the vaccine after consulting with his doctor and “believed it was the right thing to do,” for his health and “ability to do the job and to contribute to our readiness.” “I encourage you to have that discussion with your primary care physician about taking the vaccine. And if you believe, as I did, that it’s the right thing for you, I hope that you’ll consider accepting it when it’s offered to you.” The video comes exactly a week after Joint Staff Vice Director of operations Maj. Gen Jeff Taliaferro told House Armed Service Committee lawmakers that “very early data” found that up to two-thirds of service members accepted the vaccine when offered. The Pentagon later stressed that it did not know how many service members had refused the vaccine as it doesn't have a central system in place to ...
NIH Director: Masks ‘Still Important’ Post-Vaccination, ‘Even If We’re Overdoing It, That’s Fine’
On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Cavuto: Coast to Coast,” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins stated that even after people have been vaccinated, “we don’t know exactly whether it’s still possible for that person to carry the virus. It might be, and until we have better data, then masks are still important.” And that on masks, “Even if we’re overdoing it, that’s fine. Better that than run the risk of infecting more people.” Collins said, “[I]t is still entirely possible for people to be out there in public who are infected with this virus and don’t know it. And the only way we’re going to keep such individuals, and it might be any of us, from spreading this is if they’re careful about wearing that mask. It’s not about protecting themselves as much as it is protecting everybody from them. Even after vaccination, we don’t know exactly whether it’s still possible for that person to carry the virus. It might be, and until we have better data, then masks are still important. I know people are tired of them. I’m tired of them too. But, at the same time, it’s a simple measure. It’s a life-saving medical device. Just put it on. Even if we’re overdoing it, that’s fine. Better that than run the risk of infecting more people.” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett ...
