SEBASTIAN, Fla. — "Certainly before May 1, we'll be able to open it up to all adults," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said of the COVID-19 vaccination in the state during a news conference in Volusia County.
He was speaking from Crane Lakes, a housing development in Port Orange, about the expansion of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in that community. He said he plans to reduce the age limit for Floridians to get vaccinated to 55 and older sometime in the month of March.
The remarks come one day after President Joe Biden set May 1 as the target date for all adults in the United States to be eligible to be vaccinated.
Earlier Friday, the governor spoke from Brevard County, announcing a new COVID-19 vaccination site that would offer 1,000 doses per day of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, in an effort to increase the county's percent of seniors to receive the vaccine.
"This is something that you're one and done, you get it and you move on," DeSantis said. "Obviously it takes some time for the potency to be 100%."
He referred to concerns over the lower effectiveness level of the J&J vaccine as compared to Pfizer or Moderna's versions, which each require two doses.
"Well, it was 100% effective at preventing death or serious illness and hospitalization, which is really the name of the game," DeSantis said. "So technically quote 'less effective' at preventing mild infection, but honestly, you get a mild infection, we deal with those all the time in different types of viruses. So this really does the trick, I think."
Friday morning, the governor tweeted out that millions of seniors in Florida have already received their COVID-19 vaccinations, "including nearly 800,000 in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties alone."
He also tweeted that 79% of seniors in St. Johns County have already been vaccinated.
"The following counties have noteworthy senior coverage rates:
- St. Johns (79% of seniors)
- Leon (74%)
- Palm Beach (70%)
- Alachua (69%)
- Lake (67%)
- Broward (67%)
- Gadsden (67%)
#SeniorsFirst," the governor tweeted.
Those statistics come one day after DeSantis announced from a Jacksonville Walgreens that the retail pharmacy would be expanding its vaccination program to a total of 97 stores across the state of Florida, with 16 of those in Duval County. People can register in advance by visiting this website.
Those eligible include long-term care facility residents and staff; those 65 years old and up; people deemed medically vulnerable by a physician; health care workers with direct patient contact; and school employees, law enforcement officers and firefighters 50 years old and up. Starting Monday, people 60 years of age and older can start getting the vaccine.
DeSantis said Thursday that the next step is to lower the vaccination age to 55 and then open that even more broadly if supply continues the way it’s going.
