In a commentary that was both scorching and sarcastic, the editorial board of the Tampa Bay Times took Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to task on Sunday morning for hiding information on when Floridians can expect to have access to the COVID-19 vaccines.

DeSantis, who has been resistant to taking the advice from the CDC to help stop the spread of the COVID-19, has recently hinted the age for those getting the vaccine might drop in March, but that wasn't enough the local newspaper's editorial board.

Under a pointed, 'Hey Gov. DeSantis, why so cagey with Covid vaccine details?" headline, the editors pointed out that the governor is already taking heat from his opponents for "not having a detailed plan for rolling out more COVID-19 vaccinations. Your 'no-plan is a good plan' mantra isn't playing well in some circles."

That said, the editors pressed the governor to be more transparent with his longterm plans -- if he has any.

"This isn't spycraft," they wrote. "Giving Floridians a basic understanding of who comes next in the vaccination queue won't somehow give the virus a leg up, like spilling the details of the D-Day invasion. This isn't poker where deception is paramount. Show Floridians a few of your cards. They can handle it."

The editorial pointedly jabbed the Republican governor for "selecting two wealthy and predominantly white Manatee County ZIP codes to distribute an 'extra' 3,000 vaccinations," before applauding him for moving frontline health care workers and seniors to the front of the vaccination line -- but said beyond that, the public is being left in the dark.

"The main bottleneck has been the supply of vaccines, something largely outside of a governor's control," the editors admitted before adding, "All the more reason for you to dole out a few more details. Lately, you have indicated that teachers and law enforcement over the age of 50 could be next, but even then you couched it with 'probably' and 'I think.' On Thursday, you said the state will lower the age of eligibility for shots 'sometime in March.' You didn't say what the new age might be — 60? 55? Again, we don't need a 100-page treatise on where and how the state plans to distribute the vaccine over the next few months. But give us more than just dribs and drabs."

"A little more communication will allay fears and quell anxiety by helping Floridians determine where they fall on the schedule. Most residents are willing to wait their turn. They understand there isn't enough vaccine to go around yet, and they don't blame you for that. But you can help them by being more forthcoming, by treating your plan as less of a secret," they wrote before concluding, "We'd like to know a few more details about the rest of us."

You can read the whole piece here.

According to a report from the Daily Beast, the anti-vaxxer movement is now having a meltdown over the fact that blood banks are accepting blood from people who have had their COVID-19 vaccination shots and they are spreading unfounded rumors that receiving the blood could be dangerous.

As with many conspiracy rumors, the latest wave of attacks on vaccines is coming from a far-right Facebook page where the anti-vax crowd is whipping up the hysteria that the vaccines may be more dangerous than the coronavirus that is still sweeping the country.

Among the comments reported by the Beast's Daniel Modlin, was one person wrote, "There are people donating blood after being shot up with the covid crap. This terrifies me."

Another added, "Are people that stupid to donate blood after getting a shot?"

In an interview with the Beast, one member of the group who wrote, "In the future ONLY the vaccinated will be able to give blood. Think I am joking? Just watch," and then said is meant to be tongue in cheek, said their worries are that COVID-19 isn't that dangerous while the newly-developed vaccines represent a great unknown.

"We know the health risk of COVID pretty well now," Nick Savoy of Houston said. "We don't know those from the vaccine. It might be minimal. However, unknowns rank higher in my risk ranking."

As the Beast's Modlin wrote, "While there are typically deferral periods for donating blood after receiving a vaccination for diseases like rubella, measles, and chicken pox, in most cases there is no such period for people who received the COVID-19 vaccine as long as they are feeling well. As a precaution when donating, potential donors must provide their vaccine manufacturer's name. If they cannot, they are instructed to wait two weeks before donating," before adding, "Regardless, anti-vaxxers believe without evidence that the lack of a deferral period—and in some more extreme cases, allowing the vaccinated to donate blood at all—is a backdoor to genetic modification."

According to Dr. Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the University of Pennsylvania, the anti-vaxxers are letting fears of getting shots override the science.

"Vaccinations and transfusions are frightening to people who don't understand them or don't trust the science behind them," she explained.

Dr. Brittany Kmush, an assistant professor of public health at Syracuse University agreed.

"The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not live vaccines," she noted. "The reason we have deferral periods for donating blood after receiving a live, attenuated vaccine is because… in immunocompromised people, even a weakened virus could potentially be dangerous. And since people who are receiving transfusions are typically immunocompromised, there's a two-week window for added safety."

Dr. Alyssa Ziman, the chief of transfusion medicine for UCLA Health added that, as Modlin reported, "There is no evidence that the novel coronavirus can be transmitted via blood transfusion."

You can read more here (subscription required.)