DeSantis reverses course as Florida snags federal vaccine sites The four sites are expected to give a boost to areas that have most struggled to secure vaccines. Politico PRO

TALLAHASSEE — Florida is getting four federally-backed Covid-19 vaccination hubs in largely low-income communities of color, an announcement that comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis initially clashed with the Biden administration over federal vaccine help.

... People experiencing homelessness are especially vulnerable to disease and often live in close quarters. Reaching them for COVID-19 vaccination is crucial, public health officials say, yet also presents some unique challenges. Addresses and phone numbers change constantly. Few of the people affected have reliable Internet access.

Also, the pandemic put a halt to many mobile clinics and other outreach efforts to homeless encampments; in the meantime, patients scattered or avoided the clinic for fear of infection.

"If they're experiencing homelessness, all bets are off," says Kevin Lindamood, CEO of Health Care for the Homeless in Baltimore, a community health clinic that treats 10,000 patients a year and recently started patient vaccinations. "It's incredibly hard to reach people even in non-COVID times."