DeSantis: COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expands to 60 plus Monday, 55 plus soon

To keep up with the latest local news subscribe to our TV20 newsletter HERE and receive news straight to your email every morning.

SUMTERVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - More Floridians will have access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida will open up the vaccine to those individuals that are 60 or older on Monday, however, the next group to see themselves eligible will be those 55-years-old and older.

“As soon as we see softening of demand, that’s when we open it up,” DeSantis said during his Wednesday press conference.

DeSantis says the state will add almost two million people every time they expand eligibility by five years.

“After the 55 age group, we’ll open it up to the general public,” he added. “At that point. There’ll be a lot I think we’ll probably have it in every CVS and Walgreens by then too as we get more and more supply from the federal government and as they expand their the federal pharmacy program.”

RELATED STORY: Biden announces US plans to buy additional Johnson & Johnson doses

“We have a 75% decrease in cases for 65 and up since the first week of January, and we have a 75% decrease in hospitalizations among seniors since the beginning of February,” DeSantis said. “As you get above 65%, it does start to slow down with the demand, and so I think we have timed this right to where will be well over 60% statewide.”

On the day that President Joe Biden announced the U.S. is buying an additional 100 million doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, DeSantis announced that he expects 1,000 seniors to receive the J&J shot every day.

“As more of the seniors want the Johnson & Johnson, we really want to get it to them,” DeSantis said.

Copyright 2021 WCJB. All rights reserved. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.