Alaska will allow anyone in the state older than 16 to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Michael Dunleavy (R) announced On Tuesday evening, the addition of the measure is ‘immediately effective’.
Why it matters: Alaska is the first state to allow people under 18 to be vaccinated and remove the admission requirements.
Details: “The Pfizer vaccine is available for individuals 16 years and older, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the Moderna vaccine are available for individuals 18 years and older,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
- This is in line with FDA recommendations.
Remarkable: Alaska last week made the vaccines available to people over the age of 16 with a condition that puts them at risk for serious COVID-19 diseases or essential workers not covered by earlier provisions for the health, elderly and care sectors.
For the record: “Regions including Kodiak Island, the Petersburg district and the Kusilvak census area account for almost 90% of the vaccination rate among the elderly,” the governor said in a statement.
- “In the Nome census area, more than 60% of residents aged 16 and over received at least one shot, and approximately 291,000 doses were administered across the country.”
Editor’s note: this article has been constantly updated with new details.