Long-term care facilities across the state of Florida are standing by, awaiting Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA and final approval from the CDC to administer the new Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Those approvals could happen in just a matter of days, and facilities are preparing for residents to be vaccinated. 

There are about 4,000 long-term care nursing homes and assisted living facilities for seniors across the state, and in the plan laid about by Gov. Ron DeSantis, those residents will be among the first among the first to receive the vaccine.

In a pre-recorded message released Thursday, DeSantis said the federal government has allocated 179,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Florida for its first shipment.   

“We are working to get as much vaccine for our citizens as possible, but Florida will not, nor will any state, have enough to vaccinate everyone right off the bat ... Our top priority is residents of long-term care facilities. They are at the greatest risk and this vaccine could have a positive impact on them, not just protecting them from COVID, but allowing them to return to a more normal life,” DeSantis said. "We anticipate receiving these initial doses within the week."

Of those, the state plans to send 60,450 doses to long-term care residents through the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, a federal partnership with CVS and Walgreens to administer the vaccine. Another 21,450 doses will then go to the Florida Department of Health.

“We will be using strike teams from Health, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and the Florida National Guard to go into long-term care facilities and administer the vaccine in areas with a high concentration of facilities,” DeSantis said.

The Florida Health Care Association represents more than 80% of the state’s nursing homes. Spokesperson Kristen Knap said all facilities statewide were required by AHCA to sign up with either Walgreens or CVS. Knapp said both pharmacy chains have hubs set up across the state and will deploy teams to set up on site clinics. 

“They’ll have the pharmacist there to give you the vaccine,” Knapp said. “And they’ll monitor you for 15 minutes and then vaccinate the next resident.” 

The vaccinations are expected to take place over three separate visits. Knapp said nursing home residents will be vaccinated first, followed by assisted living residents and then staff.  

Gail Matillo, President and CEO of the Florida Senior Living Association, expects more guidance to be released once the Pfizer vaccine receives Emergency Use Authorization.  

“One of the things we’e not sure of at this time is, if you have a campus that has nursing homes and assisted living, whether the pharmacy will vaccinate everyone on campus or if they’ll do it segmented,” Matillo said. 

Matillo also expects to learn more about staggering vaccinations for staff, should side effects become an issue. 

Both the FHCA and the Florida Senior Living Association say Walgreens and CVS have indicated they won’t begin vaccinations before December 21, but facilities are being advised that could change – and to be ready.

Knapp said anticipation is high, as members of the long-term care community hope the vaccine will bring with it an eventual return to normalcy.

“We’re hopeful that, at some point, this vaccine will give us the ability to get back to that,” Knapp said.  “Not just quality care but quality of life.”

Along with long-term care facilities, the state will be sending 97,500 doses to hospitals to administer to front-line health workers.

And Advent Health in Central Florida is just one of five distribution centers in the state, because of its ability to store the vaccine in the company's super freezers.

Advent Health officials say they are going to have vaccine stations set up across Central Florida.

Reporter Eric Mock contributed to this story.