The U.S. is pushing ahead with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccine, and some states, including Alaska and Mississippi, have thrown out the requirements for admission and will allow anyone 16 years and older to get a chance.
At least three states – Connecticut, Michigan and Ohio – have announced that they will be eligible for vaccination in the coming weeks for everyone 16 years and older. Currently, 21 states and Washington DC allow anyone 16 years and older with high-risk medical conditions to receive a vaccine.
Last week, Alaska – which currently leads the country in vaccines administered per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – became the first state to allow anyone over 16 the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Almost a year ago, the first positive COVID-19 case arrived in Alaska. Today, our state – as a result of Alaskans’ undisputed efforts – is leading the country in the vaccination efforts,” said Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine announced on Tuesday that his state will also give access to anyone 16 years and older from March 29.
‘We have had all indications from the federal government and the Biden government that we will see a considerable increase [of vaccine doses] for the week of March 29, “DeWine said.” We do not know exactly how much more, so a work in progress.
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Connecticut and Michigan are following suit and will fully open appointments for the coronavirus vaccine on April 5th.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox also revealed last Wednesday that the state will open the vaccine to all adults on April 1, meaning someone is 18 or older.
The governors of Minnesota, Florida and Colorado have also tentatively said they may waive vaccine admission requirements in April, but have not officially set a date.
Under the guidance of the Food and Drug Administration, patients must be at least 16 years old to receive the Pfizer vaccine and at least 18 years old for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
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President Joe Biden said Monday his government is on track to distribute 100 million shots of COVID-19 vaccines by March 25. Biden has also set a deadline for states to make the vaccine available by May 1st.
To date, more than 110 million vaccines have been administered in the U.S., cumulatively by the Trump and Biden administrations. About 22% of the U.S. population has received at least one vaccine dose, and 11.8%, or more than 39 million people, have been fully vaccinated, per CDC data.
Currently, there are a string of statements open to patients as young as 16 years old if they have high-risk medical conditions that make them very susceptible to a serious COVID-19 diagnosis.
These states are: California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Washington DC
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Four states – Alabama, North Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin – have also announced that in the coming weeks they will be eligible for anyone 16 years and older with high-risk medical conditions.
Map shows which states COVID-19 vaccines offer to everyone, which originally appeared on abcnews.go.com