Governor Ron DeSantis was at Tampa General Hospital on Monday to announce and witness the first COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to a Florida resident and frontline healthcare worker.
“Historic day for Florida and our country! Today I was proud to introduce Florida’s first patient to receive a vaccine for COVID-19, frontline nurse Vanessa Arroyo. Thanks to Vanessa, as well as the entire team @TGHCares, for your efforts to make this possible,” Governor DeSantis Said in a tweet.
On Monday, CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “Today is a historic day for our nation and the great state of Florida as the first wave of the COVID-19 vaccine was delivered to major hospitals in our state. This is a tremendous milestone and a culmination of incredible work by President Donald Trump and Operation Warp Speed, Governor Ron DeSantis, and our heroic healthcare professionals working around the clock to serve our communities throughout this pandemic. This is nothing short of a game-changer and no small task to cut through the red tape and accelerate vaccine development while maintaining standards for safety and efficacy.”
“Thank you again to Governor Ron DeSantis and the entire team at the Florida Division of Emergency Management for their tireless efforts to protect Floridians and help coordinate the largest mass vaccination effort in U.S. history. This is a huge win for Florida and vital to saving lives and getting our economy back on its feet.”
Tampa General is one of the five hospitals in Florida taking part in the state’s pilot program. The hospital has three freezers that can store 510,000 doses and the vaccine needs to be stored at -80 degrees Celsius, according to the FDA.