Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has received a single-dose coronavirus vaccine, his office confirmed Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the Republican governor declined to provide details, including when exactly the Republican governor received the dose. But it was later disclosed that the governor last week received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requiring only a single dose.
The spokesperson, Meredith Beatrice, acknowledged the governor’s vaccination during an interview.
DeSantis had recently said he would be vaccinated soon -- but no announcement was made by his office when he received it and no journalists were on hand. Even some of his top lieutenants said they were unaware the governor had been vaccinated as they continued to urge Floridians to get inoculated against a virus that has killed nearly 34,000 people statewide. More than 2 million people in Florida have been infected.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Some governors, including DeSantis, had not rushed to get vaccinated, saying they would wait their turn. But eligibility requirements are now nearly universal — except for children under the age of 16.
DeSantis had previously said he preferred getting a shot of the vaccine manufactured by Johnson & Johnson because it requires just single shot, unlike the two-shot regimen required by the two other vaccines approved for use in the United States.
The governor is now one of more than 1.2 million Floridians who have been vaccinated. Florida earlier this week opened vaccinations to anyone over age 16 as the state attempts to reach so-called “herd immunity.”
