Beginning Monday, March 29, everyone age 40 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the new eligibility guidelines Thursday morning.
Then, beginning the following Monday, April 5, everyone age 18 and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine.
The governor is encouraging Floridians to pre-register at www.myvaccine.fl.gov.
Once pre-registered, they’ll be contacted when the vaccine is available in their area. Floridians can also call the vaccine preregistration phone number for their county, listed here.
Vaccines are also available at 150 CVS locations, 125 Walmart and Sam’s Club locations, more than 70 Winn Dixie locations, soon-to-be over 600 Walgreens pharmacies, and every one of the 730 Publix pharmacies across Florida.
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One of the industries hit hardest by the pandemic was quick to praise the governor’s announcement.
“From business losses and plummeting consumer confidence to re-opening and recovery, FRLA has advocated every single day for policies and practices that would help our restaurants, hotels, and suppliers survive this crisis and begin to rebuild. Opening the vaccines to residents age 18 and older in the coming days is a huge victory for our hospitality industry, not just for our guests, but for our 1.5 million employees,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.
Through Tuesday, slightly more than 5.2 million people had been at least partially vaccinated in Florida. Vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna require two doses, while a Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only one dose.
More than 2.85 million people in Florida had completed two-dose series or had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as of Tuesday, according to the state Department of Health.
About 2.35 million had received first doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
