DeSantis announces CVS expansion statewide for COVID-19 vaccines

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced an expansion of vaccinations to dozens more CVS pharmacy sites in the state including several in Central Florida.

Speaking from Lehigh Acres in Lee County, DeSantis announced CVS is expanding to 76 more locations statewide.

The pharmacy, which already had select pharmacies in the state including Volusia, Polk and Flagler counties, offering COVID-19 vaccines, also distributes vaccine through its sister chain Navarro Discount Pharmacy and CVS Pharmacy y más locations, which cater to Hispanic consumers.

With the expansion, all of the CVS-owned pharmacies will hit 157 statewide. Appointments will be available to be made online Thursday morning at CVS.com for shots as early as Friday. DeSantis said the expansion would include Central Florida.

A check of the website shows locations will be available in Orlando, Winter Park and Windermere in Orange County as well as Kissimmee in Osceola County. Volusia’s locations are expanding to Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach Shores, Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater.

Exact locations in each city were not listed. They joined Publix, Walmart and Winn-Dixie sites as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, which also now includes limited Walgreens sites.

To date, there are 730 Publix, 12 Walgreens, 119 Walmart and Sam’s Club and 43 Winn-Dixie locations across most of the state’s 67 counties.

DeSantis said he expects to announce more Walgreens locations this week as well.