People under the age of 65 with "at-risk" medical conditions are now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines in the state of Florida, according to an executive order issued Friday by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The executive order states that doctors, registered nurses and pharmacists may vaccinate people "determined by a physician to be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19."
This means that anyone who has a high-risk medical condition can receive a coveted shot, but not at a state or county-run site. Doctor offices and participating pharmacies like those at Publix, Walmart and Winn Dixie are authorized to inoculate "at risk" patients.
Holy Cross Health, for example, announced Monday they are now administering vaccines to patients under 65 years old with conditions such as asthma, cancer, chronic kidney disease, heart failure and hypertension.
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On Friday, Broward Health announced it had opened up COVID-19 vaccine appointments for at-risk individuals ages 18 and over. As of Friday afternoon, all appointments had been filled up, according to a Broward Health spokesperson. It's unclear when exactly the health care system will open up another batch of appointments, but it will most likely be this week.
This is a developing story and will be updated. Please check back for more updates.
