Vaccine eligibility expands to 60-plus in Florida

FEMA mobile site opens at South Econ Park in Orange County

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida is now allowing people age 60 and up to get vaccinations for COVID-19.

Florida previously had limited shots to people 65 years old and up, frontline health care workers, law enforcement and firefighters and school employees.

[TRENDING: Sheriff: Man cut off grandpa’s ears | Cops kill man suspected of fatally shooting his mom | SpaceX launch creates crazy clouds]

Gov. Ron DeSantis extended eligibility on Monday to those 60 and over.

A FEMA mobile site opened at South Econ Park, where workers are giving up to 500 shots per day to those who are eligible for the vaccine.

Michael Todd, 64, drove from Seminole County to South Econ Park on Monday morning to get in line for the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I’m glad it’s over with. It’s something you have to take care of, and I believe everyone should do it,” Todd said.

Sohaila Tehrani, 64, also visited South Econ Park.

“That’s the piece of mind for me. I am very happy that, finally, I can be a little bit protected toward this virus,” she said. “I was waiting for today, to come here and get my vaccine and, finally, thank God, it’s my turn.”

The FEMA site will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Wednesday.

The latest Department of Health statistics show that statewide about 4,204,180 people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

About 2,323,370 have complete their shot regiment, whether it is the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna options.

DeSantis recently said that he hopes to drop the age of those eligible for the vaccine to 55 in the next couple of weeks.

Florida has more than 21.4 million residents.


Use the form below to sign up for the ClickOrlando.com 4pm Trending newsletter, sent every weekday.


About the Authors

Ezzy Castro is a multimedia journalist on News 6's morning team who has a passion for telling the stories of the people in the Central Florida community. Ezzy worked at WFOR CBS4 in South Florida and KBMT in Beaumont, Texas, where she covered Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Being from Miami, Ezzy loves Cuban coffee and croquetas!

Recommended Videos