ORLANDO, Fla. — On Monday, 1.4 million Florida residents became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine after the governor opened it up to people ages 60 and up.
Hundreds of residents in the 60 to 64 age range made it out to the vaccination site on Monday, but some experts expect it won’t take long to get through this new group.
All Florida residents age 60 and up are now eligible for the vaccine at any location across the state.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis made the shift down to 60 after demand diminished in the 65 and older group. “You don’t get 3 million seniors’ shots and not have the demand soften. I mean, it’s a mark of the success,” DeSantis said.
In Orange County, appointments at the Orange County Convention Center filled up quickly. Not everywhere had the same turnout.
According to University of South Florida virus expert, Dr. Michael Teng, “There’s definitely room for expansion of vaccinations.”
Teng stated that although 1.4 million more Floridians are now eligible, there are other factors. “That’s out of a state of 21 million people,” Teng said. “So it’s, you know, it sounds like a lot. But it’s really, it shouldn’t tax the system.”
DeSantis said he will open up the vaccine for those 55 and older next and has made it clear that he will not greenlight any other professions right now, just age groups.
The governor did say that after he expands eligibility to those 55 and older, he will next open vaccinations up for everyone.
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Teng believes when those ages 20 to 49 start to get the vaccine, the transmission will go down. “We know that transmission is mostly among kind of young adults,” Teng said. “I think the transmission is kind of plateaued right now, which is a good thing.”
“If I were the governor in charge of public health in Florida? I want to shift it to more of an essential person, essential worker strategy,” Teng said. “I mean, I think when you know, 65, and over, this is kind of the good range where we see really a lot of excess mortality due to severe COVID. But right now, I think, you know, we know that transmission is mostly among kind of young adults, and I would say essential workers are pretty much the people that are in contact with people all day long.”
President Joe Biden has directed states to open vaccinations to all adults by May 1. DeSantis said Florida can beat that deadline.
Cox Media Group
