DeSantis says Florida will not have state-run vaccination sites for children
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida will not host state-run COVID-19 vaccine sites for children now that kids ages 5-11 are able to get vaccinated.
The governor made the announcement during a press conference in Jacksonville on Thursday, when asked if the state would organize vaccination sites like it had earlier in the year for adults.
"We're not doing vaccine sites. They're at pharmacies, they're readily available for everybody," DeSantis said. "It's not something that the state is administering at this point."
When vaccines were first made available at the beginning of 2021, Florida rolled them out by age group. But the governor said they are more widely available now than they were back then.
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"The vaccines are going to everybody in the normal medical system the way it is," he told reporters. "We basically got it through the whole economy in April, so it's been available at every drug store since then."
DeSantis also reiterated his anti-mandate stance, saying he would not allow any requirements for children to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida.
"That is a parent's decision," he said. "We're going to make sure that is enforced and parents can make these key decisions for their children."