All Florida residents over the age of 18 will be eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine starting April 5th, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday.
DeSantis made the announcement in a video released from the Governor’s office, saying the eligibility age would be lowered to 40 and older starting Monday before lowering it to all adults the following week.
“We have now vaccinated over 70% of the roughly 4.4 million seniors living in the state,” DeSantis said. “And we are ready to take this step.”
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DeSantis added that more than 400 Walgreens locations would be providing the vaccines in the coming days, adding to the over 700 Publix locations, 150 CVS locations and 125 Walmart and Sam’s Club locations across the state.
“We have made great progress and I look forward to continuing to work hard to make sure everyone in Florida who wants a shot, can get a shot,” DeSantis said, adding no state mandate would be placed requiring a vaccine.
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Florida is set to receive its largest dose of vaccines next week, with nearly 700,000 expected according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Included in that increase is 122,900 doses of the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine, up 24,000 doses from last week.
Click here for vaccine locations across South Florida and how to register
