COVID vaccine
Female doctor applying injection.

Meanwhile in Florida: Vaccine Chasers Flock to Sunshine State, Only to Remember It’s Ground Zero For Places to Get Covid

Desperate times call for desperate measures. And there’s been no time more desperate than the present thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. People have gone to great lengths to avoid getting sick – and now they’re going the distance to get vaccinated, too.

Florida has been experiencing a “vaccine tourism” epidemic. People from all over have been flocking like snowbirds to the Sunshine State in the hopes of getting a shot in the arm that will inoculate them from COVID. Some come from as far away as Argentina; others just have second homes in the state and are taking advantage of the vaccine’s availability. More than 39,000 out-of-towners have received their first dose of the vaccine in the state.

While Florida was initially offering the vaccine to anyone 65 and older, regardless of home state, outsiders seeking the vaccine in Florida have become such a problem that Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a public statement saying, “We’re only doing (shots) for Florida residents. You’ve got to live here either full-time or at least part-time,” he said. He later elaborated: “What we don’t want is tourists, foreigners. We want to put seniors first, but we obviously want to put people that live here first in line.”

Floridians are understandably disgruntled that non-residents are getting the first shot at COVID immunity. Some have had to wait in lines for hours for their vaccine.

While we don’t blame anyone for doing everything in their power to get vaccinated, you’ve gotta admit that traveling to Florida, a hot spot of virus transmission, is kinda stupid. The state has reported over 1.67 million cases of coronavirus so far. At this point, you’re probably just as likely to get COVID as you are to get the vaccine if you visit the state. Plenty of people go there, but you don’t often hear of people getting out alive…and if coronavirus doesn’t get you, chances are an alligator will.

Cover Photo: Capuski (Getty Images)

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