Nearly 100 Florida Walgreens to offer COVID-19 vaccine as state lowers age requirement

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Florida’s governor announced a significant increase on Thursday in the number of Walgreens that will be offering vaccinations against COVID-19. Until now, only 12 locations were providing the shots, now 97 will be providing vaccines. Governor Ron DeSantis said the expansion would take place immediately.
 
"Appointments open today, and the shots will be going in the arms tomorrow," he said during a stop in Jacksonville.
 
Several dozen of the Walgreens locations are in the Tampa Bay area, including pharmacies in Manatee, Polk and Pasco Counties. They join other businesses like Publix, Winn Dixie, CVS, Walmart, and Sam’s Club that are offering vaccinations as well.
 

Earlier in the day, at a stop in Lake City, the governor announced that starting Monday people as young as 60 will be allowed to get the shot. Until now, the age restriction was 65 and older. 

READ Walgreens partners with Polk County long-term care facility to administer COVID-19 vaccine

DeSantis says an estimated three million seniors have been inoculated so far. That’s two out of three in Florida. He said that if the state gets the vaccines it hopes for, the vaccine may soon be available to anyone.
 
"If the supply floodgates really open, we could be in a position sometime in April where it is just available and people can get it," DeSantis said.

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