Coronavirus: UF Health Jacksonville health care workers receive COVID-19 vaccines

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — UPDATE, 1:15 p.m., 12/14/2020: UF Health Jacksonville confirms that its CEO Dr. Leon Haley is believed to be the first person in Florida to receive the COVID vaccine.

RELATED: UF Health Jacksonville CEO believed to be first in Florida to receive COVID-19 vaccine

During a news conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis, Tampa General Hospital also began distributing vaccines to its health care workers on Monday.

Frontline nurse Vanessa Arroyo was the first person at Tampa General to receive the vaccine.

UPDATE, 11 a.m., 12/14/2020: UF Health Jacksonville health care workers became the first people in Jacksonville to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday morning.

UPDATE, 9:45 a.m., 12/14/2020: UF Health has received the shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The shipment arrived earlier than expected, according to a spokesperson for UF Health.

The first shot is expected to take place at 10:30 a.m.

Original Story 12/7/2020: UF Health Jacksonville is preparing to receive a vaccine. It was one of five hospitals in the state chosen to get the vaccine.

The hospital is hoping for enough vaccines for their entire staff, but emergency room, trauma and frontline staff will be prioritized.

The vaccine comes during a shortage of PPE across the country.

An investigation by 60 Minutes revealed increased pricing for supplies like gowns, gloves and respirators as demand goes up and supply shortages increase.

UF Health and other local hospitals said PPE supplies numbers are okay as of now.

Chad Neilsen, the head of infection prevention for UF Health Jacksonville, said the hospital has been stocking up on supplies and are prepared to store the vaccine in hospital freezers as the hospital is seeing more COVID cases.

“We are seeing a bump in Covid patients now that we are 8-9 days after Thanksgiving, so we are seeing that we are struggling with that as are other hospitals in the area,” Neilsen said.

Neilsen stressed a vaccine will likely not be available to the general public until spring and warns people to listen to CDC guidelines with Christmas around the corner.

“The vaccine is coming, but it is not coming to people for several months,” Neilsen said.

Coronavirus: UF Health Jacksonville health care workers receive COVID-19 vaccines

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