Florida Expands COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility to All School Employees, Including Day Care Workers

Strategic Insights -

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that all school employees, including day care workers, will be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines, regardless of age, through pharmacies like Publix, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart, as well as federally run vaccination sites. This decision comes after the federal government advised that all school employees, including day care workers, should be vaccinated, superseding DeSantis's previous "Seniors First" policy. While DeSantis insists that his "Seniors First" policy remains in place, he has announced that the state will use the newly authorized Johnson & Johnson vaccine to create points of distribution for police, school employees, and firefighters.

Key Takeaways:

  • All school employees, including day care workers, are now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines in Florida, regardless of age.
  • Publix will offer vaccines to all school employees of all ages throughout the state through its online registration portal, starting on Friday at 7 a.m.
  • CVS stores in several counties, including Miami-Dade and Broward, are offering vaccines, as well as Walmart stores in those counties.
  • The federal government is sending vaccines directly to pharmacies, instructing them to follow federal guidelines, which now include vaccinating all school employees.
  • DeSantis has stated that he will not deviate from his "Seniors First" policy until hundreds of thousands of seniors still waiting for vaccines receive them.
  • The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only one dose, will be used to create points of distribution for police, school employees, and firefighters.
  • DeSantis has mentioned sending some Johnson & Johnson vaccines to doctors' offices and expects to receive 175,000 doses this week, which will provide a two-week supply until production increases.

Statistics:

  • 95.7% of COVID-related mortality in Florida has been above the age of 50.
  • 19,000 vaccines are being administered each week at 67 Publix stores in Palm Beach County.
  • 6,000 shots are being administered per week at clinics and large sites in Palm Beach County.
  • 3,258,997 people in the state have received one dose of the two-shot vaccine.
  • 54% of the vaccine recipients in the state are seniors.
  • 63% of seniors in Palm Beach County have received one dose.
  • 175,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines are expected to be received by the state this week.

Sources:

  • Jane Musgrave, Palm Beach Post
  • Ron DeSantis, Gov. of Florida
  • Publix
  • CVS
  • Walgreens
  • Walmart