Gov. DeSantis Says People 60 And Older Eligible For COVID-19 Vaccine Beginning Next Week
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - The DeSantis administration will be broadening the age of eligibility for the COVID-19 next week.
At a news conference in Tallahassee on Monday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the state will authorize giving shots to people ages 60 and older. The change will take effect March 15.
After focusing for more than two months on vaccinating seniors against COVID-19, the governor said more than 2.64 million people ages 65 and older have been vaccinated.
"As the demand has softened a little bit, as fortunately more than 50 percent of seniors in almost all of our major counties have received at least one shot, we will open it up to 60 to 64 as well," DeSantis said.
DeSantis issued an executive order in December that placed a focus on vaccinating seniors and has barnstormed the state promoting the policy. Through Sunday, slightly more than 3.59 million Floridians had been vaccinated, with seniors making up almost 74 percent of that total, according to Florida Department of Health numbers.
DeSantis last month announced that teachers and law-enforcement officers ages 50 and older would be eligible for shots. That was followed last week by President Joe Biden's administration issuing a directive that made all teachers eligible.
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