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The state of Florida is requiring vaccine providers to verify recipients of COVID-19 are legitimate residents of Florida, according to The Daily Wire.
“The COVID-19 vaccine remains scarce within the United States and vaccine availability in Florida is extremely limited,” reads the state surgeon general’s public health advisory.
COVID-19 vaccine has been made available to those over 65 in Florida.
Those who intend to receive the vaccination are required to show proof of residency.
Any individual “present in Florida for the purpose of providing health care services involving direct contact with patients” may still receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Through the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed, the federal government accelerated the development and approval of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Approximately 5.8% of Florida residents have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to Center for Disease Control and Prevention data compiled by The Associated Press. Furthermore, 0.5% of those COVID-19 vaccine recipients have since received their second dose.
The CDC Data, which can lag behind by several days, shows that the former vaccine leader, West Virginia, has been relegated to second place by Alaska. As of Thursday, data showed 9.4% of West Virginians had received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 9.8% of Alaskans had received the first dose. West Virginia led Alaska in fully vaccinated residents by .1%, according to the CDC data. No other states have vaccinated more than 8% of their residents against COVID-19.
On the other end of the spectrum, however, are states that have been lagging in vaccine administration. According to the CDC data, two states have administered vaccines to fewer than 4% of their state’s population: Nevada, where only 3.8% of residents have received their first dose, and Alabama, where only 3.4% of residents have received one.
More than a dozen states have vaccinated between 4% and 4.9% of their residents, including Idaho (4.1%), Wisconsin (4.1%), California (4.1%), Arizona (4.1%), South Carolina (4.1%), Virginia (4.2%), Ohio (4.2%), Georgia (4.3%), Missouri (4.3%), North Carolina (4.5%), Maryland (4.5%), Kansas (4.5%), Illinois (4.5%), Mississippi (4.6%), Minnesota (4.6%), Pennsylvania (4.7%), New Jersey (4.9%), and Washington (4.9%).
