The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declined to change the allocation of COVID-19 vaccines to account for the thousands of seasonal residents who move to Florida during the winter months after a majority of the state’s members of Congress asked it to do so in January.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s office received a letter from the HHS assistant secretary for preparedness and response, Robert Kadlec, on Monday after Rubio and 17 of the state’s 27 U.S. House members, including Republicans and Democrats, said the influx of “snowbirds” strained the supply of vaccines, which are available to both residents and non-residents who move to Florida for the winter.
HHS said it isn’t changing the allocation of vaccines after Florida lawmakers asked for more doses to account for an increase of seasonal residents who are eligible for a shot.
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
— By Alex Daugherty / The Miami Herald
