MIAMI SPRINGS, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that less than 50% of young people in Florida will opt for a COVID-19 vaccine when he expands access to all in April.
If the long lines of ineligible people earlier this week outside of Miami Dade College North Campus, 11380 NW 27th Ave., in Westview, are any indication of pent-up demand, DeSantis could be wrong.
President Joe Biden said Thursday that he expects every adult in the United States to be eligible by May 1. Biden’s administration has been working to secure a supply of two-dose vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to cover the U.S. population by the end of July.
“We want to be oversupplied and overprepared,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.
DeSantis’ expansion on eligibility for people who are 60 years old or older starts on Monday. He said he will later lower the eligibility to people who are age 55 or older.
As of Saturday, DeSantis granted first priority to anyone who is 65 years old or older, healthcare personnel, and staff at long-term care facilities. Also eligible: Public school district employees, firefighters, and law enforcement who are older than 50 years old.
Medically vulnerable patients under 65 years old require a state’s determination of extreme vulnerability form signed by a physician. It’s better to bring this form to the vaccination site than a generic doctor’s note because it will lead to faster processing.
Two satellite sites are open at 1770 NE 162 St. in North Miami Beach and 1401 Westward Dr. in Miami Springs.
COVID-19 vaccine locations: Miami-Dade County | Broward County
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