Gov. DeSantis Lowers Vaccine Eligibility to 60 and Over and COVID-19 Updates

By Ryan Yousefi

Many more Floridians will soon be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the state would lower the age of eligibility to 60 and older, effective Monday, March 15.

According to Gov DeSantis, demand for the vaccines among seniors age 65 and older has begun to decrease, saying it’s time to begin offering the vaccine to younger people. He said Florida would continue with an age-based approach to eligibility because older people remain more vulnerable to COVID-19.

COVID-19 Data

Data released by the Florida Department of Health on March 7 report there were 63,767 COVID-19 tests conducted. Out of those, 6,043 came back positive. Of the positive test results, 3,494 found out they had tested positive for the first time.

Not only has testing and cases declined compared to previous weeks, but the first-time positivity rate has also declined to 5.95-percent, a steady decrease compared to the numbers reported last week and months before the peak of the pandemic.

Tamarac has reported 5,315 total positive COVID-19 cases — an increase of 32 positive cases since March 5.  

Statewide in Florida, there have been 1,948,307 positive cases to date. The average age to contract the virus in Broward County on March 7 was 39-years-old. For months, the average Floridian to test positive has hovered between 39 and 42-years-old. 

Since the pandemic began, 81,015 Floridians have been hospitalized due to complications of COVID-19, and 31,764  have died. Of the total deaths, 2,477 were from Broward County. 

Vaccinations

As of March 7, 5,364,834 or 16.81 percent of Floridians have received at least one vaccination dose.

Florida has fully vaccinated 9.24-percent of its population. Broward County has a population of  1.9 million residents as of 2019, and 467,181 doses of the vaccine have been administered, with 170,322 people now fully vaccinated. 

Broward County Total Cases

Fort Lauderdale 42,501

Hollywood 37,987

Pompano Beach 19,100

Miramar 12,939

Coral Springs 11,319

Davie 8,619

Sunrise 7,770

Plantation 6,748

Weston 6,165

Deerfield Beach  5,738

Tamarac  5,315

Coconut Creek 4,844

Margate 4,764

Hallandale 3,745

Pembroke Pines 3,753

North Lauderdale  3,290

Oakland Park 2,656

Cooper City  2,672

Parkland 2,238

Dania 1,381

Lauderhill 986

Wilton Manors 924

Lauderdale Lakes 825

Southwest Ranches  671

State of Florida

Miami, Dade 240,479

Orlando, Orange 84,922

Jacksonville, Duval 83,026

Tampa, Hillsborough 65,924

Hialeah, Dade 58,740

Fort Lauderdale, Broward 42,501

Hollywood, Broward 37,987

West Palm Beach, Palm Beach 29,735

Kissimmee, Osceola 28,517

Tallahassee, Leon 27,677

Pensacola, Escambia 25,468

Homestead, Dade 25,155

Naples, Collier 25,066

Saint Petersburg, Pinellas 24,340

Fort Myers, Lee 22,326

Bradenton, Manatee 20,867

Ocala, Marion 20,640

Boca Raton, Palm Beach 20,441

Lakeland, Polk 20,138

Pompano Beach, Broward 19,100

Gainesville, Alachua 17,780

Sarasota, Sarasota 16,210

Port Saint Lucie, St. Lucie 14,866

Lake Worth, Palm Beach 14,766

Cape Coral, Lee 14,466

Clearwater, Pinellas 13,046

Miami Beach, Dade 12,985

Miramar, Broward 12,939

Boynton Beach, Palm Beach 11,736

Panama City, Bay 11,647

Doral, Dade 11,426

Coral Springs, Broward 11,319

Miami Gardens, Dade 10,996

Saint Augustine, St. Johns 10,776

Melbourne, Brevard 9,934

Winter Haven, Polk 9,743

Delray Beach, Palm Beach 9,163

Lehigh Acres, Lee 8,918

Davie, Broward 8,619

Riverview, Hillsborough 8,575

Vero Beach, Indian River 8,535

Milton, Santa Rosa 8,267

Palm Bay, Brevard 7,902

New Port Richey, Pasco 7,804

Sunrise, Broward 7,770

Fort Pierce, St. Lucie 7,508

Coral Gables, Dade 7,321

Saint Cloud, Osceola 7,317

Largo, Pinellas 7,259

Daytona Beach, Volusia 7,070

Apopka, Orange 7,069

Lake City, Columbia 7,003

Spring Hill, Hernando 6,894

Orange Park, Clay 6,872

Plantation, Broward 6,748

North Miami Beach, Dade 6,660

Clermont, Lake 6,602

Davenport, Polk 6,551

Brandon, Hillsborough 6,416

Jupiter, Palm Beach 6,229

Weston, Broward 6,165

Plant City, Hillsborough 6,129

Sanford, Seminole 6,124

Deltona, Volusia 6,049

Deerfield Beach, Broward 5,738

Winter Garden, Orange 5,651

Tamarac, Broward 5,315

Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa 5,309

Port Charlotte, Charlotte 5,253

Palm Coast, Flagler 5,108

Crestview, Okaloosa 5,073

Stuart, Martin 5,033

Wesley Chapel, Pasco 4,950

Coconut Creek, Broward 4,844

Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach 4,806

Margate, Broward 4,764

Land O Lakes, Pasco 4,755

Winter Park, Orange 4,686

Deland, Volusia 4,667

Palmetto, Manatee 4,658

Palm Harbor, Pinellas 4,627

Wellington, Palm Beach 4,563

Oviedo, Seminole 4,524

Miami Lakes, Dade 4,362

Opa Locka, Dade 4,263

Altamonte Springs, Seminole 4,229

Lutz, Hillsborough 4,127

Middleburg, Clay 4,118

Port Orange, Volusia 4,082

Haines City, Polk 4,063

Brooksville, Hernando 4,034

Live Oak, Suwannee 3,981

Valrico, Hillsborough 3,959

Venice, Sarasota 3,958

North Port, Sarasota 3,947

The Villages, Sumter 3,902

Sebring, Highlands 3,896

Ocoee, Orange 3,893

Leesburg, Lake 3,880

Hallandale, Broward 3,877

Punta Gorda, Charlotte 3,874

Pembroke Pines, Broward 3,779

Arcadia, Desoto 3,753

Saint Johns, St. Johns 3,746

Seminole, Pinellas 3,629

Bonita Springs, Lee 3,626

Ormond Beach, Volusia 3,598

Zephyrhills, Pasco 3,579

Navarre, Santa Rosa 3,562

Okeechobee, Okeechobee 3,548

Windermere, Orange 3,347

Pinellas Park, Pinellas 3,345

Immokalee, Collier 3,326

Longwood, Seminole 3,290

North Lauderdale, Broward 3,290

North Miami, Dade 3,265

Gulf Breeze, Santa Rosa 3,229

Ruskin, Hillsborough 3,219

Cocoa, Brevard 3,183

Niceville, Okaloosa 3,162

Cantonment, Escambia 3,078

Panama City Beach, Bay 2,987

Jacksonville Beach, Duval 2,927

Quincy, Gadsden 2,915

Lake Worth Beach, Palm Beach 2,911

Key West, Monroe 2,892

Crawfordville, Wakulla 2,853

Casselberry, Seminole 2,831

Hudson, Pasco 2,771

Dade City, Pasco 2,758

Port Richey, Pasco 2,755

Cutler Ridge, Dade 2,754

Palatka, Putnam 2,730

Bartow, Polk 2,726

Titusville, Brevard 2,710

Fernandina Beach, Nassau 2,686

North Fort Myers, Lee 2,666

Oakland Park, Broward 2,656

Green Cove Springs, Clay 2,630

Lake Mary, Seminole 2,577

Winter Springs, Seminole 2,574

Kissimmee, Polk 2,556

Auburndale, Polk 2,533

Ponte Vedra Beach, St. Johns 2,516

Aventura, Dade 2,510

Perry, Taylor 2,492

Lake Wales, Polk 2,479

Merritt Island, Brevard 2,471

Lynn Haven, Bay 2,427

Tarpon Springs, Pinellas 2,410

New Smyrna Beach, Volusia 2,409

Marianna, Jackson 2,360

Inverness, Citrus 2,342

Belle Glade, Palm Beach 2,309

Clewiston, Hendry 2,273

Parkland, Broward 2,238

Fleming Island, Clay 2,234

Eustis, Lake 2,226

Santa Rosa Beach, Walton 2,212

Cooper City, Broward 2,188

Royal Palm Beach, Palm Beach 2,188

Wimauma, Hillsborough 2,179

Dunedin, Pinellas 2,166

Estero, Lee 2,139

Loxahatchee, Palm Beach 2,132

Holiday, Pasco 2,080

Defuniak Springs, Walton 2,044

Chipley, Washington 2,035

Sarasota, Manatee 1,977

Key Biscayne, Dade 1,972

Rockledge, Brevard 1,968

Destin, Okaloosa 1,942

Parrish, Manatee 1,940

Starke, Bradford 1,927

Labelle, Hendry 1,923

Mount Dora, Lake 1,901

Palm City, Martin 1,898

Odessa, Hillsborough 1,877

Avon Park, Highlands 1,875

Mulberry, Polk 1,870

Riviera Beach, Palm Beach 1,855

Tavares, Lake 1,832

Seffner, Hillsborough 1,775

Summerfield, Marion 1,751

Yulee, Nassau 1,749

Groveland, Lake 1,700

Pinecrest, Dade 1,672

Wauchula, Hardee 1,637

Lithia, Hillsborough 1,629

Maitland, Orange 1,619

Macclenny, Baker 1,615

Missing, Dade 1,609

Orange City, Volusia 1,586

Sebastian, Indian River 1,572

Mayo, Lafayette 1,566

Callahan, Nassau 1,561

Coconut Grove, Dade 1,548

Bonifay, Holmes 1,548

Ponte Vedra, St. Johns 1,526

Carol City, Dade 1,526

Palmetto Bay, Dade 1,512

Homosassa, Citrus 1,510

Lady Lake, Lake 1,507

Crossings, Dade 1,477

Crystal River, Citrus 1,473

Dania, Broward 1,424

Pace, Santa Rosa 1,374

Lake Placid, Highlands 1,373

Lake Butler, Union 1,355

Gibsonton, Hillsborough 1,350

Oldsmar, Pinellas 1,329

Sun City Center, Hillsborough 1,327

Florida City, Dade 1,325

Madison, Madison 1,318

Dover, Hillsborough 1,315

Atlantic Beach, Duval 1,314

Hobe Sound, Martin 1,296

Biscayne Park, Dade 1,274

Monticello, Jefferson 1,270

Dunnellon, Marion 1,268

Apollo Beach, Hillsborough 1,267

Edgewater, Volusia 1,262

Palm Springs, Palm Beach 1,261

Alachua, Alachua 1,242

Debary, Volusia 1,230

Indiantown, Martin 1,228

Graceville, Jackson 1,215

Belleview, Marion 1,215

North Palm Beach, Palm Beach 1,178

Century, Escambia 1,164

Lantana, Palm Beach 1,159

South Miami, Dade 1,124

Newberry, Alachua 1,120

Lecanto, Citrus 1,094

Havana, Gadsden 1,076

Ellenton, Manatee 1,066

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