Vaccine eligibility is open to Florida residents aged 60 and over

JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – Florida opened the COVID-19 vaccination to anyone aged 60 and over on Monday. While lowering the age of 65 was expected to bring a new wave of people to state and federal locations and lead to more vaccine registrations at retail pharmacies, the lines to get vaccinated continued to be short.

At the vaccination site run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency at Gateway Mall, many people told News4Jax on Monday that they were looking forward to being vaccinated and were surprised to see the queue so short.

Arvia Gilmore said she was shocked that there was no waiting and too many vaccines to circulate when she arrived at the scene to get vaccinated.

“Just let people shoot,” said Gilmore.

News4Jax also checked the state-run vaccination site at the Regency Square Mall on Monday and found that the queue was short and there was no need for an appointment.

The latest statistics from the Florida Department of Health show that, across the state, 4,252,250 people received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 2,279,646 completed their vaccination regimen, be it the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine or the two-dose options from Pfizer or Moderna.

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Florida has more than 21.4 million residents, including 17.7 million residents aged 16 and over who would be eligible for at least one of the vaccine options if there were no age restrictions imposed by the state.

The expanded age criterion occurs when Florida, on Monday, reported 99 more coronavirus-related deaths, for a total of 32,959. The state also reported 2,826 additional cases of COVID-19, totaling 1,979,634.

Reducing the age to 60 to be vaccinated is in addition to continuing to vaccinate frontline health workers, school officials, police and firefighters over 50, people of any age with a medical certificate stating that they are extremely vulnerable To COVID-19 and caregivers of anyone eligible for the vaccine.

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David Cox, who had an injection at the Gateway Mall vaccination site, said it was time to further reduce the age requirement.

“I think they should,” said Cox. “People are dying because you’re being ignorant and they’re blaming ‘I can’t get enough'”.

Larry Jones, 64, said he knew the concerns that many African Americans have about vaccination. But he said they shouldn’t wait and believes that the Gateway Mall website should be open to all age groups now.

“I think the sooner they reduce it, the more people will be vaccinated,” Jones told News4Jax after being vaccinated.

DeSantis said last week that after the state made people aged 60 and over eligible for the vaccine, it will soon lower the age to 55 and likely open it up to the rest of the population.

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RELATED: Where to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine in Northeast Florida

In addition to the major vaccination sites at Gateway Mall and Regency Square Mall, two smaller federal vaccination sites opened on Sunday at the Carver Center in Jacksonville Beach and the Oceanway Center at Jacksonville’s Northside.

The Gateway Mall site must be open until May 3. Workers expect it to become busier as age restrictions are further reduced.

Vaccination appointments are also available at most Publix and Walmart pharmacies and at some Winn-Dixie, CVS and Walmart stores. Visit myvaccine.fl.gov to find a site near you.

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