Gov. Ron DeSantis said the number of stores participating in the CDC’s Federal Retail Pharmacy Program is expanding throughout the state.
DeSantis said 119 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores across 34 Florida counties and 600 Publix groceries across 41 counties will begin offering the vaccine through the partnership.
He says that’s in addition to some 325,000 vaccines the state expects to receive from the federal government this week and deploy at other vaccine sites.
“But all the new Publix locations and all the Walmart locations those are doses, tens of thousands of doses direct from HHS that are not a part of the 325,000. So it’s 325,000 plus the new pharmacy locations which is tens of thousands of doses.”
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DeSantis said the state will continue to partner with 105 community vaccine sites at local departments of health and 45 houses of worship to get shots in arms.
He said he expects the supply of doses to increase by the end of February when a Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be approved.
“We don’t want people to have to be isolated in their homes being scared. We want you to be able to have confidence to go out see your friends and family and obviously when you have a 95 percent vaccine that’s a great way to be able to do it.”
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More than 2 million people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in Florida.
