State's Emergency Management Director explains county vaccine allotments

OVIEDO, Fla. - The State of Florida has received some criticism on how much vaccine counties are, or are not, receiving each week. 

"On a 'go-forward' basis, it’s going to be mathematical, it’s going to be transparent and we’re going to publish it,"  Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz told state lawmakers on Thursday.

Right now, supply just isn't meeting the demand when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines -- not just in Florida, but across the country. 

Operation Warp Speed announced at the beginning that states would be getting larger shipments of vaccine every week, but that hasn’t been the case.  FOX 35 News asked Seminole County’s Emergency Management Director if he knows how the state is deciding which county gets what amount of vaccines per week once it gets to Florida. 

"Lord, I wish that I did know that. I have no idea what the algorithm is they use at the state," Alan Harris said.

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Harris wants more vaccines, just like every other county in the Sunshine State.  One Osceola County commissioner sent a letter to Gov. DeSantis asking why they only received 3,000 doses one week for 375,000 residents when similar-sized Lake County got 12,600 doses during that time.  Similar frustrations were voiced in Tallahassee today by state lawmakers. 

"We got 1,300 vaccines last week delivered in three days, and this week our supply is zero," a state representative from Putnam County said.  

"I fixed that. On a go-forward basis, no county will be getting zero," Moskowitz said.  

Moskowitz went on to explain some of the allotments from the past few weeks.

"In the beginning when we were trying to increase thru-put bigger sites, a lot of which were set up in more urban areas, ok, we put doses there in order to get more doses in arms because we needed to get the shots up," Moskowitz said. 

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He promised that things will be different. 

"On a go-forward basis, all 67 counties are going to receive doses every week, and they’re going to receive it on their 65-and-older population."

Seminole County is moving its vaccine distribution area at the Oviedo Mall into a larger location. Health officials are taking over the entire old Sears department store and will start giving shots there to those 65-and-up who booked appointments starting Friday morning. 

The new location will allow the county to more than double the number of vaccines being administered if they can get the allotment from the state.  The new location also gives health officials more room to grow if needed on the second floor, which still sits empty.

Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.