Lee Health expects to get vaccine, says absence on list was miscommunication

NOTE: No COVID-19 vaccine is currently available to the general public on request.

Health experts are meeting to review the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Thursday, which could get FDA approval as soon as Friday. A government advisory panel has endorsed the biotechnology company’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Once it’s approved, the vaccine will be going to the biggest health system in Southwest Florida, but Lee Health was initially left off the list, which came as a surprise.

“The Moderna will likely be 181 hospitals across the state of Florida,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly.

The health system told us the confusion was a miscommunication. Lee Health is confident the COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered next week as expected.

“This is something that’s exciting,” DeSantis said. “We feel good.”

Lee Health said the state will deliver the vaccines in time for the system to start vaccinating staff members at Gulf Coast Medical Center and Cape Coral hospitals next week.

Employees at its remaining hospitals will need to go to one of those locations to get vaccinated for COVID-19.

Dr. Luis Aponte told us that is news to him.

“There’s been no reports as of right now,” Aponte said.

Lee Health explained that’s because it’s still waiting on more information, including what vaccine the state will give it — Pfizer or Moderna.

Either way, Aponte is hopeful.

“We’re on the front line,” Aponte said. “Personally, me and a lot of my colleagues are excited to get vaccinated, give our family some protection and sort of go back to a little bit of normalcy again.”

He said he knows the initial confusion was not intentional.

“I think they have good intentions to like get everybody on the staff vaccinated,” Aponte said.