Add the words COVID-19 vaccination alongside receiving a driver’s license on the list of “things you can do when you turn 16.”
Over a year of mask-wearing, hand sanitizing and remote learning — the pandemic-spurred pandemonium begins to quiet as vaccine eligibility finally reaches the masses in Florida.
In a March 25 statement Gov. Ron DeSantis said all Florida adults will be eligible for vaccination beginning April 5; this now also includes those 16 years of age with parental permission. Starting March 29, vaccinations are open for adults 40 and older.
UF students and faculty can now receive their vaccine from a UF facility through collaboration with the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County Department of Health.
An email sent on March 30 provided a link for students to register for the vaccine through their ONE.UF account.
“We are excited to be scaling up our vaccination efforts, increasing available slots to the community, including UF students, faculty and staff,” the email read.
Being a UF student is not a prerequisite; any adult can schedule a time as long as they are 18 or older. Vaccination begins April 5 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Champions Club, which is across the street from the O’Connell Center’s Gate 1.
If the student attends UF, they can say goodbye to the biweekly 2mL saliva tests to stay cleared for campus, and if in close contact with a COVID-19 case the student will not have to quarantine two weeks following their last vaccination dose.
Prior to DeSantis’ statement, K-12 educators were given the green light by DeSantis to receive vaccines at pharmacies or local sites like Publix, but those in higher education were not. UF professors, and others across the state, located vaccine availability through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to receive their dose of the vaccine as early as possible.
FEMA offers vaccinations to any educator, as they base their eligibility on the CDC’s recommendations. According to the CDC, phase 1b prioritizes frontline essential workers, which includes those who work in the educational sector, K-12 or higher ed is not specified.
Now that all adults are permitted by the state to receive a vaccine, accessing a federal government vaccination site is no longer necessary, but remains an option for shot seekers.
Students who failed to meet eligibility requirements prior to DeSantis’s statement attempted to locate loopholes to receive their vaccine.
Walgreens considers those residing in a congregate building as eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, so dorm hall residents took advantage of this and scheduled appointments. However, on the day of Sophia Lotz’s appointment, Walgreens called to tell her they had changed their eligibility to not include people living in college dorms.
Although disappointing, Lotz, an 18-year-old architecture freshman, no longer needs to worry about such eligibility rules.
With the Governor’s latest statement and compliance with President Joe Biden’s May 1 deadline for total state vaccine eligibility, Floridians 16 and older can view a brighter future with vaccination and a return to normalcy.
“Getting vaccinated as soon as possible is the critical step in returning to a normal college experience and to our normal activities with family and friends,” the email read.
The time is now. Log into ONE.UF and register for vaccination!