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An executive order from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis taking effect Wednesday is expanding eligibility to COVID-19 vaccines – this time to those under 65 with pre-existing conditions.

Currently, frontline health care workers, patients and workers in long-term care facilities and Floridians 65 and older can get vaccinated. Patients deemed by a hospital to be “extremely vulnerable” can also get vaccinated.

But DeSantis signed Executive Order 21-47, which takes effect Wednesday, allows police officers, firefighters and school personnel aged 50 and older to get a vaccine.

Additionally, the new order allows doctors, pharmacists and advanced registered nurse practitioners to vaccinate a patient they certify as extremely vulnerable to COVID-19. The Florida Department of Health released that form late Tuesday – but there are no current criteria on what conditions qualify.

“But we’re really putting that in the hands of the medical doctors rather than us arbitrarily picking and choosing,” DeSantis said Wednesday. “Because the fact is if we pick certain things, we may leave some out. We could include things that may not – so we think trusting our doctors is the way to go.”

The form just requires doctors to attest that they believe the patient is extremely vulnerable to COVID-19.

Individuals 65 and older and frontline health care workers can pre-register for vaccine appointments and be notified when appointments are available in their area by visiting https://t.co/uxEGdokIwp or find the complete list of numbers by county at https://t.co/CscaNQDlBP pic.twitter.com/sN7IrSuv0u

— Florida Dept. Health (@HealthyFla) February 11, 2021

Patients with a completed form from a doctor will be eligible to get vaccinated at four newly-opened vaccine sites in Florida run by FEMA, including the Central Florida site at Valencia College West.

💉 Federal Vaccine Site Update: Federal sites in Tampa, Miami, Orlando & Jacksonville CAN vaccinate individuals deemed extremely vulnerable by a physician. Individuals will need to present a signed @HealthyFla form, per EO 21-47.

➡️ Form available here – https://t.co/0dsllXISU2

— FL Division of Emergency Management (@FLSERT) March 3, 2021

Previously, hospitals could vaccinate people under 65 with medical conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID. Most hospital systems so far have had precious few vaccines, and have been giving them to patients with cancer and on organ transplant waiting lists.

Orlando Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith has been advocating for more people to get the vaccine. He said there has been confusion over whether patients need the newly-released form or if they can get a vaccine with just a note.

“Just try to book the appointment, or in the case of the federal site, walk up with whatever documentation you have proving you are medically vulnerable and we know, based on what’s happening on the ground, that there is a very small chance that they would be turned away from getting access to the vaccine,” Smith said.

Beginning 3/3, medically vulnerable in FL under 65 should complete this form in order to be vaccinated. Since it was just published at 10:49P, Pharmacies won’t begin using it until 3/5. Use a doc’s note as an alternative. DM us if your appt gets cancelled and we’ll try to fit it! pic.twitter.com/bekTMA4U4r

— Rep. Carlos G Smith (@CarlosGSmith) March 3, 2021

The expansions come as Florida is expecting 175,000 doses of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine – which requires just one dose and does not need to be kept frozen. This order – combined with the incoming Johnson &  Johnson vaccine – could set the stage for more Floridians to get the vaccine at a doctor’s office.

WMFE is a partner with Health News Florida, a statewide collaborative reporting on health care.

Health reporting on WMFE is supported in part by AdventHealth.