Florida pharmacy makes COVID vaccine house calls
Florida pharmacy makes COVID vaccine house calls
A pharmacy in the Tampa Bay area of Florida started making home visits to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to those unable to get outdoors as the Delta variant causes a spike in cases in the state and around the nation.
Conway G.
Gittens has more.
Florida pharmacy makes COVID vaccine house calls
GARCIA: "Have you had COVID before?" SAYRE: "No, God, no." GARCIA: "Good." SAYRE: "That's why I've been staying in this house the last 20 months." Bound to a wheelchair and unable to go out of the house after eye surgery, St.
Petersburg, Florida resident Mark Sayre was eager to get the COVID-19 vaccine but couldn't.
Now a locally owned pharmacy based in Tampa is coming to his rescue.
Pharmacy technician Ledsiel Garcia works for DeliveRxd Pharmacy, which started a free home vaccine program, open to anyone who qualifies for the vaccine.
Garcia says he's been busy all week making house calls and the phone has not stopped ringing.
GARCIA: "And what vaccine are we doing for you today, Sir?" SAYRE: "I guess it was the Pfizer.
That's the most effective, right?" The City of Tampa has used Twitter to get the word out about the home vaccination program... Sayre heard about it on the local news.
"Phew.... this is terrific here, man.
Almost got me choked up a little bit.
Don't do that to me." Like most of the country, the Delta variant has resulted in a spike in new COV-19 cases across Florida, mainly due to the unvaccinated.
Florida is a hot spot for the outbreak, with the state making up 20 percent of the nation's new infections, according to local media.
At the same time, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has rebuffed talk of shutdowns, mask mandates or any kind of COVID restrictions.
Garcia's schedule is filled up as he makes as many house calls as he can.
"Going to patient's house that are not available to get out and get their vaccine because (of) their conditions, makes me feel good about myself that I can get those people the vaccine." Demand is so strong the pharmacy is now looking to add more drivers to help out with the free service.