Florida will prioritize Holocaust survivors and their spouses as the state prepares to administer 1,500 weekly doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to homebound seniors, the state’s governor said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday that the first 750 doses of the rollout are set to go to the survivors.
“We owe our seniors and our Holocaust survivors for serving as inspirations for so many people,” DeSantis said at a synagogue.
DeSantis, a Republican, was present when the first shots were given to homebound seniors, including one given to Holocaust survivor Judy Rodan, 83, who lived through the Auschwitz concentration camp.
“She was orphaned. She was in Auschwitz. She escaped and thankfully has been able to live a long and fruitful life,” DeSantis said. “But everyone else in her family was taken, killed, in the Holocaust.”
Florida will work with Jewish organizations to identify Holocaust survivors who would qualify for the vaccine.
The move is also in line with a larger effort by the state to partner with religious groups to help reduce the racial disparities in the initial vaccine rollout.
Florida has provided 500 vaccines apiece to 26 churches across the state, totaling 13,000 doses.
So far, more than 1.7 million Floridians have received their first doses of the coronavirus vaccine. The state has had over 1.7 million coronavirus cases and over 27,000 deaths.
