Florida Democrat Rep. Stephanie Murphy has urged President Biden to adjust his plan to distribute vaccines nationwide after finding ‘obvious shortcomings’ that could be detrimental to states with seniors for the elderly.
“We have the same goal, which is to produce and distribute enough vaccine doses to vaccinate every American as quickly as possible,” Murphy said in a letter to the president on Thursday.
But the Florida Democrat has the plan outlined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to distribute vaccines among states, based on the number of residents of them who are 18 years and older.
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“This one-factor formula has the benefit of simplicity, but it also has clear flaws,” she said. “According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Americans 65 and older are responsible for 81 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States.”
Murphy pointed out that one in five Florida residents is at least age 65, which means nearly 21 percent of the state’s population is considered at high risk for the deadly coronavirus and should be prioritized.
The congresswoman asked the government to consider states and territories such as Maine and Puerto Rico, which share a high population of senior citizens, in the distribution of vaccines, as the CDC recommends that people aged 75 and older be given preference to to receive vaccinations.
The Florida Democrat noted that the crux of the problem is that the state still has the burden of one of the largest senior populations in the country, as the state tries to divert enough vaccines to teachers while schools reopen.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is considering Florida’s response to the vaccination of the elderly and told reporters on Thursday, “We are number one for shots for the elderly.”
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“We are now reporting about 1.6 million elderly people who have received a shot, that is about 35 percent of our huge senior population,” he added.
Fox News could not immediately reach the White House for comment on Murphy’s request.