Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ executive office has quickly shot back at White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s questionable "facts" claim that Florida has “only distributed about 50% of the vaccines that they have been given in Florida.”
"Well, the president is a pretty even-keeled guy so I would say that he doesn't have much reaction other than he wants to ensure that the vaccine is distributed to people across the country including, of course, the millions of people living in Florida," Psaki said during Monday's White House press briefing. "And I will note 'cause we're data first here, facts first here. They've only distributed about 50% of the vaccines that they have been given in Florida, so clearly, they have a good deal of the vaccine."
“We are flattered that the White House took time out of a briefing today to spotlight the great things happening here in Florida,” Meredith Beatrice, DeSantis’ Communication Director responded to Psaki's comment. “While some may prefer to pick a number out of context for a political talking point, I’d like to present the facts.”
Beatrice listed facts reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where Florida was at the top of the ten most populous states that have been administering the vaccine.
“Despite the challenge of limited vaccine supply at the federal level, Governor DeSantis has led the charge to create a robust and innovative infrastructure for vaccinations here in Florida and we are prepared if and when additional vaccine comes,” added Beatrice.
Florida Democrats have been pushing the false narrative that the DeSantis administration has not prepared to administer the vaccine, but the truth was DeSantis’ Emergency management agency, lead by former Democratic State Representative Jared Moskowitz, was prepared to deliver and administer 5 million doses of the vaccine once the vaccine came online.
DeSantis’ focus on vaccine distribution was to make “Seniors First” because they were by far the most vulnerable to the disease. In addition, DeSantis is on the verge of administering 1 million vaccines to seniors alone.
Beatrice added, “Governor DeSantis and his administration are working around the clock to get the vaccine into the arms of Floridians, and we’ll continue working to advocate for Florida and get us the resource we need most – the vaccine.”
