Senior citizens in Florida camp out overnight in attempt to get COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19 is most dangerous to the elderly and some senior citizens.

Deaths from the virus for people 75 and older amount to 59.1% of all COVID-related fatalities. For people 65-years-old and above, that number rises to 80.5%. Just 0.19% of Americans less than 1-year-old to 25-years-old who contracted the virus have died from it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That explains why some senior citizens in Florida spent the night camped out in line for first-come-first-served shots, according to reports on Wednesday.

"In the line for vaccines, seniors 65 and over were together with hope, folding chairs, snacks and quiet conversations. Many people had similar stories to share," according to WINK News. 

"A friend of mine that died from the virus, he was from where I came from in Nevada," Kit Kerkesner told WINK. "That was a horrible way to learn. Oh, yeah, this virus is for real."

"This is worth it," said 80-year-old Aaron Stern, who said he'd never camped out on a sidewalk. "The opportunity to feel safe again and to be able to go out is wonderful."

Other seniors in the state, where Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued an order allowing people 65 and older to get vaccinated, said the danger of the virus makes camping out worth it. "I'm scared, that's why, and I wanna [feel] free," senior Frank Mihalik told the outlet.

"I think that’s fantastic," Kerkesener added. "Governor DeSantis, when he did the 65 and over thing, he’s got my vote for life. I don’t know what more to tell you."

Other seniors gathered outside Estero Park and Rec Center in Cape Coral two hours before the clinic opened, according to USA Today.

"I really need this vaccine," Mary Ravis, 69, told the paper, adding that both she and her husband, 73, have underlying health conditions. "We figured it would fill up fast." 

In his executive order, DeSantis rejected guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ordered that people 65 and older can go to the front of the line, even ahead of essential workers.

"We are not going to put young healthy workers ahead of our elderly," said DeSantis.

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, the first in the U.S., was approved by the FDA for emergency use authorization (EUA) on Dec. 11. The FDA on Dec. 18 also approved Moderna's EUA request. Both are already being distributed. Moderna said its data showed their vaccine was 95% effective in its late-stage clinical trial, the same as Pfizer's.

The Moderna vaccine was developed in conjunction with the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed. A key advantage of Moderna's vaccine is that it does not need sub-zero storage like Pfizer's, which needs to be stored at -94 degrees.

A third vaccine, one developed by AstraZeneca and researchers at Oxford University, was approved Dec. 30 for emergency use in Britain.

Florida received 179,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine last week and another 127,000 doses this week, along with 367,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, USA Today reported.