MIAMI – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has expanded the number of people eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
He also has allowed those administering the shots to use their own discretion on who they provide it to.
The head of Jackson Health System spoke to Local 10 about just that, speaking on who will be able to get the shot.
“Jackson Health system has vaccinated over 97,000 members of community, accounting for one-third of vaccinations in Miami-Dade County,” said Jackson Health CEO Carlos Migoya.
Per DeSantis’ latest order, Jackson Health will be giving shots to even more people.
Under current state guidelines, those now eligible include any of the following, if age 50 or older:
- Sworn law enforcement officers
- Firefighters
- K-12 school site personnel
All must be able to show a badge or department or school identification.
Also eligible at Jackson is anyone 50 or older with an underlying condition, and Migoya explained what they’ll need to provide.
“A signed doctor’s note on the physician’s letterhead or prescription pad listing the patient’s name, any specific high risk condition for which the patient is being treated and a recommendation that the patient be vaccinated,” Migoya said.
Tuesday DeSantis once again touted the convenience and possibilities for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine throughout the state.
“You never have to do it again,” DeSantis said. “Once you go through once, we’re good, and it allows us to move around very quickly.”
The state is now considering vaccination pods to streamline the process for law enforcement and bring the shot to them.
“We’re going to do the pods with the sheriff’s departments,” DeSantis said. “We’re going to be looking at places that don’t have those federal sites, but that are pretty sizable so we’ll look at places like Broward, Palm Beach, Brevard.”