Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Twitter On Thursday, Florida will reduce the age for coronavirus vaccination to 40 on Monday, and then open eligibility for all residents 18 and over a week later.
“We are ready to take that step,” he said in a video, adding that the state has vaccinated nearly three-quarters of its more than 4 million seniors aged 65 and over, which DeSantis has defined as his first vaccine priority.
The governor noted President Joe Biden’s May 1 deadline for states to make vaccines available to all adult residents. As of Thursday, more than 5 million people have been vaccinated in Florida, according to state data.
DeSantis said the state has also been successful in vaccinating people aged 50 to 64, who became eligible through previous expansions on March 15 and Monday. (State data does not clearly show the number of doses administered to people in this age group.)
Some other states, such as Alaska, Utah, West Virginia and Mississippi, have already opened the vaccine’s eligibility to all residents age 16 and older. Texas, the second largest state in population, and Oklahoma announced this week that they would open vaccines for everyone starting on Monday. Georgia said it would do that today.
It was not clear on Thursday why Florida is setting the age of eligibility at 18 instead of 16.
Also in his Twitter video, DeSantis celebrated the fall in the state of COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations among the elderly, saying they have “plummeted” since the start of vaccination efforts in Florida. “We want to keep that momentum going,” he said.
The state has more than 100 vaccination sites administered by the county and more than 1,600 retail pharmacies that offer injections, said DeSantis. Soon, Walgreens will add another 400 locations.
“We have made great progress and I look forward to continuing to work hard to ensure that everyone in Florida who wants a chance can have a chance,” said DeSantis. “No mandate. But access for everyone. “
Team writer Allison Ross contributed to this report.
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