Gov. DeSantis doubles-down on possibility of lowering vaccine age eligibility before May 1

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Florida’s governor says he’s looking into, once again, lowering the age for people who are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

He made the statement during a press conference Tuesday morning at Zion Hope Primitive Baptist Church in Pensacola. 

DeSantis said he is still focusing on getting seniors their shots first, then he will look into lowering the age. As of Monday, anyone 50 or older is eligible to get a vaccine in Florida.

“If the demand continues to be manageable, we want to lower the age again,” DeSantis said.

RELATED: Where to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida

The governor said he didn’t have an announcement on it just yet, but that it is something he is keeping an eye on. DeSantis added that he thinks the vaccine will be made available to all age groups before the Biden administration’s goal of May 1.

“I can tell you, in Florida, that’s going to happen way before May 1, so stay tuned for that,” DeSantis said.

This isn't the first time Gov. DeSantis talked about lowering the eligibility age. 

On Monday, he spoke about beating the May 1 goal, saying that Florida would get there "way before" the Biden administration's target date, but asked that younger generations be patient in the meantime.

RELATED: Gov. DeSantis says Florida will offer COVID vaccines to all adults 'way before' May 1

For now, the governor wants counties to focus on vaccinating at least 70 percent of its seniors before vaccinating "very low-risk people." 

DeSantis also discussed Florida's approach to having schools open for students compared to other states. 

"I don’t see how you can keep kids out of school for a year and a half or two years and think that’s not going to have catastrophic consequences,” he said

Since the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida, the state has used places of worship like churches and temples as vaccination sites often to reach people in underserved communities.

RELATED: CDC: Less than 1% of Florida students got COVID at school

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