Gov. Ron DeSantis demurred Wednesday on whether he agreed with the state surgeon general that Floridians would need to continue social distancing until a coronavirus vaccine is approved. DeSantis said he didn’t hear the surgeon general and would talk with him privately. He then went on to say a vaccine isn’t a guarantee.
“You know there is no vaccine for SARS or MERS. Coronavirus causes the common cold. I hope there’s a vaccine tomorrow, but I don’t think there’s a 100% guarantee that there is a vaccine. So that’s just something to think about as we figure out. I’m hoping we’ll get some effective anti-virals soon, because that’ll make a big, big difference. Of course I’m hopeful that we get a vaccine, but at the same time, there have been attempts at vaccines for a lot of things, but it’s not as easy as it sounds where you just do it,” Rivkees says.
During a Tuesday press conference Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said the public should get used to avoiding crowds and wearing masks until a vaccine can be approved—a process he indicated could take about a year. Shortly after he made the comment, a DeSantis staffer escorted Rivkees from the ongoing press conference. A spokesperson said Rivkees had to leave to attend another meeting.
