Shots for those under 65 available soon
DeSantis: Younger Floridians should have access to the coronavirus vaccine in March
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said he expects Floridians under age 65 will be able to get the coronavirus vaccine next month and that the shots will start to become widely available sometime in April.
He did not, however, offer a specific lower age or say what percentage of seniors would have to be vaccinated before younger people could be inoculated.
DeSantis also revealed several new permanent sites to distribute coronavirus vaccines, including a community center in Kissimmee, each of which he said will be able to offer at least 200 shots per day. The new sites are within Black and Hispanic communities, which comes after the governor received criticism for targeting several white and wealthy communities for vaccination “pop-up” centers.
Regarding lowering the eligibility age from 65, “As soon as we’re in a situation where the seniors are being taken care of, we’re going to look to do that,” DeSantis said at a press conference at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville. He said any additional increase in eligibility would have to wait until enough seniors were vaccinated.
“If you expand it to 55, that’s millions and millions of people, and so then we’d end up having the jam and all that stuff again,” DeSantis said. “So it’s going to happen, I would say, without question, barring any problems with the vaccine distribution, you’re going to see the age lower at some time in March, for sure. And as soon as we have the metrics to justify it, we’re going to let people know.”
The state’s seniors-first policy has been so strict that when Walmart began distributing shots via a federal program, it abruptly ended a policy of allowing shots for people below 65 with underlying conditions.
DeSantis has avoided saying exactly what the percentage of seniors vaccinated would have to be reached before lowering the age. Currently, about 47% of them have been received the vaccine, and DeSantis has acknowledged that many might not want to get the shots or go out of their way to get them.
With the expected federal approval of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, he added, along with increases in Moderna
production, “As we get into April, [a vaccine] is not going to be very difficult for people to be able to get. I think the supply is going to be very robust.”
The new vaccination site at the Kissimmee City Chambers Park and Community Center, was one of six new sites announced on Thursday, along with the press conference location at Edward Waters College as well as FAMU, Broward College, and two sites in Miami-Dade County.
DeSantis has come under fire for the state vaccinating people in wealthier, white neighborhoods, including one limited to two wealthy zip codes in Manatee County and two developments in Sarasota and Venice owned by a DeSantis donor.
DeSantis got testy with a reporter Tuesday when asked about the criticism, calling it “a joke” that anyone would be upset about his wanting to vaccinate seniors.
Later in the day, DeSantis touted the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine expected to be approved for emergency use by the federal government this week. He noted that while its effectiveness against being infected wasn’t as high as either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, that it has proved 100% effective against both death and hospitalization from the virus.
“They’ll say it’s not as effective as Pfizer or Moderna, it’s only 67%,’’ DeSantis said. “But understand what that refers to. It was found to be 100% effective at preventing death and hospitalization. Isn’t that what you want? ... When it is my turn, I’m going to take the Johnson & Johnson. I’m just going to get one shot and be done.’’