Updated: 8:52 AM PST Feb 4, 2021 By WESH Staff Police are searching for a man who they said stole a car containing vials of the COVID-19 vaccine just before they were to be distributed. The 2018 gray Hyundai Accent with Florida tag NPJJ58 was stolen from the inoculation site at the Strawberry Festival Fairgrounds in Plant City, Florida, authorities said.Police released video of the suspect, who they described as a light-skinned male in his 20s. He has long hair and was wearing a light-colored hoodie when the theft occurred.Anyone with information about the man is asked to call Plant City police.
$5K reward offered to find suspect who stole car with 30 vials of COVID-19 vaccines
By FOX 13 News staff
Published
Justin Matthews reports
PLANT CITY, Fla. - A vehicle containing 30 vials of the COVID-19vaccine was stolen from the Strawberry Festival grounds in Plant City on Wednesday, police said. A reward of up to $5,000 is now being offered by Crime Stoppers to find the suspect.
Plant City police said the keys were in the ignition when the 2018 gray Hyundai Accent was stolen from the Red Parking Lot at the fairgrounds, which is a Plant City distribution location for the COVID-19 vaccine. Hillsborough County officials said the vehicle was on the street outside the secure vaccination site when it was stolen.
Getting her first dose of the coronavirus vaccine meant a lot to Lelia Clark, 77. She is one of the 55,916 Black people who have been vaccinated in Florida as of Wednesday, compared to 710, 885 white people.
Lelia Clark, 77, sat smiling in her car on a recent morning at the Strawberry Festival Fairgrounds in Plant City.
Clark, a resident of the nearby historic African-American neighborhood Bealsville, had just received her first dose of a coronavirus vaccine at the drive-through site run by Hillsborough County.
She had arrived an hour ahead of her appointment to try to get farther up in the line of hundreds of people eagerly waiting for their shots, and was parked in the monitoring area where people linger to make sure they respond to the vaccine smoothly.
Dr Nachman Ash complained up to two-thirds of people were still catching coronavirus after their first jabs
UK regulators have said the first dose of the jab is up to 89% effective
In the UK, second doses are being delayed up to 12 weeks as the government prioritizes getting more people some protection, instead of two doses for a few
But protection is only expected to kick in from two weeks after the first dose
The FDA s review of Pfizer data suggests one jab is only 52% effective
US regulators insist everyone should get both jabs of PFizer s shot 12 days apart
The US does not plan to delay second doses - but with doses running out in states, and no stockpile, Americans could be left waiting anyway
More than 45,000 people in Florida are DAYS overdue for their second COVID-19 vaccine dose - amid fears among seniors of serious second shot side effects
Of the 1.03 million people in Florida who have received at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine, 45,056 are overdue for their second dose
Florida s Department of Health has refused to answer questions about whether officials are concerned and reasons for why people have missed their second jab
Health experts say some might be worried about the side effects of getting the second dose, which is known to be stronger than the first
In a statement on Thursday, Gov Ron DeSantis urged Floridians being vaccinated to not forego their second shot