Mississippi is one of three states that has expanded coronavirus vaccination for anyone 16 years and older, and according to a CNN analysis, more than a dozen more plan to open to 16-year-olds by the end of April. and older.
McGee, who lives in Columbus, Mississippi, decided last week not to waste any time.
The next morning at 7 a.m., the student contacted the Mississippi Department of Health to schedule an appointment. After some trouble with the phone planning, he said he secured an appointment online at 9:20 a.m. at a drive-through yard in Lowndes County.
It took just 20 minutes before McGee was vaccinated. At 9:40 a.m., he was one of the youngest people in Mississippi to be vaccinated with one dose of Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.
The Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine has been approved in the United States for ages 16 and older, and the Modern Covid-19 vaccine and Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine have both been approved for adults 18 and older.
Alaska was the first state in the U.S. to stop prioritizing certain groups for Covid-19 vaccines and public vaccinations for anyone 16 years and older living or working in the state.
McGee said he was surprised his state was the second, after Alaska, to open up vaccinations to anyone 16 and older in the general public.
“There are a lot of negative stereotypes about the state, and I think some have it with good reason – the state’s access to health care, the state’s poverty rate, its history of racism are all negative things that exist to this day,” McGee added. CNN said. “But getting this vaccine to expand, I think, is one thing Mississippi can be celebrated for.”
A CNN analysis of state health departments found that Covid-19 is eligible for vaccination for people 16 years and older in certain states according to the following timeline:
- March 24: Utah and state-owned sites in certain Arizona counties
- March 25: Georgia
- March 29: Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, North Dakota
- April 1: Montana
- April 5: Connecticut, Michigan
- April 9: Missouri
- April 12: Illinois
- April 19: Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island
- April 26: Idaho
- April 27: Maryland
- April, no set date: New Mexico, Virginia, Iowa
- May 1: Wisconsin, Oregon, South Dakota
- May 3: South Carolina
- May or later: California, Nebraska, Kansas, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Delaware
Connecticut and other states have used a gradual introduction of Covid-19 vaccines because of “the limited supply of vaccine relative to demand,” Maura Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, said Monday. said an email to CNN.
“We started with frontline health workers and residents / staff of long-term care facilities and then progressed backwards through age groups, starting with our residents aged 75 and older,” Fitzgerald said, adding that the state only started vaccinations for adults last Friday. and parent and announced that 16 and older on April 5 are eligible.
“With the increasing supply of vaccines from the federal government and the efficiency with which our vaccine suppliers get shots in the arms, we were able to speed up our implementation,” Fitzgerald said.
Tom Hudachko, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Health, said in an email to CNN on Tuesday that when demand begins to decline in priority groups – based on information from vaccine providers in terms of available appointments – then it is suitable for additional populations. .
“Last week, some of our providers reported that up to 15% of their appointments were available this week, so we decided to be eligible for 16+,” Hudachko said. “We also expect an increase in supply in the coming weeks, so that this is also taken into account.”
Why there is ‘volatility’ in the suitability between countries
There is volatility in which states offer vaccines to everyone 16 and older, and which still prioritize groups because there are state-by-state differences in supply and demand.
“There is volatility in how quickly states have opened up their suitability, and some have to do with supply,” Plescia said.
Plescia said, for example, that demand in some areas in the southeast does not seem quite as strong, and that some of the southern states may therefore vaccinate faster for everyone aged 16 and older than other states in the northeast or on the West Coast. where much is still being asked.
“Some states wanted to be even more thorough in reaching a significant portion of each group before opening it up to more groups,” Plescia said.
“So I think in some countries they can spend some time telling people over 65 before they open wider,” he said. ‘While I think there are a number of states where they have opened it up and that the demands will stay with the group, but as soon as the demand starts to slow down – rather than go out and really try to recruit more people -‘ make it just open again. ‘
“In most states, it looks like we can administer the vaccine. It’s really just an issue,” Plescia said. “I think with most states, the response to the Biden government’s goal was basically, ‘Okay, get us a generous offer where we can meet the needs and we’ll be ready to do that. So I think it will ultimately be decisive in the question of whether we really have an unlimited supply, but a significantly increased supply where you can open it and you know you are not going to run out of vaccine. “
Meanwhile, McGee applauds his state of Mississippi for opening the vaccine to the general public and he told CNN that he is optimistic that President Joe Biden’s hopes that all adults will be vaccinated by May 1st.
“I think everything is pointing in the right direction,” he said.
‘The offer drove this whole conversation’
“The offer fueled this whole conversation,” Benjamin said.
‘The reason we had to prioritize in the first place was because we knew the supply would be short in the beginning, and then of course there was a desire to deal with the inequalities in health – so these two things, to some extent, set the priority, “he said.” At the end of the day, the goal is to get everyone vaccinated, and we should leave no stone unturned. “
Now, with Biden’s goal of opening vaccinations to anyone 16 years and older by May 1, Benjamin said he expects more states to be eligible in the coming days.
“I think you’re going to continue to see states open up and try to come before the date – but that’s going to depend entirely on the vaccine supply,” Benjamin said.