11 March 2021, 14:13 HST
The Hawaii Department of Health announces that the state is eligible for vaccination on people age 65 and older and those who qualify as members of Phase 1c from Monday, March 15th.
“This is another major step in the ongoing effort to protect Hawaii residents from COVID-19,” said Dr Elizabeth Char. “We will continue to administer vaccines shortly after it arrives, and we are glad we can take more people now.”
To date, vaccines have been reserved for health workers, those in long-term care facilities, essential workers and people aged 70 and over. Extending the suitability to phase 1c allows people with 65 medical conditions and essential workers to be vaccinated.
Essential workers are people in industries and occupations that are important for the functioning of society and with an increased risk of exposure. This includes people working in hotels and hospitality, food service, banking and finance, transportation, construction, media, logistics, information technology and more.
The weekly allocation of vaccines from Hawaii by the federal government has steadily increased from about 40,000 doses per week in early February to more than 62,000 doses this week. This growth is expected to continue. Phase 1c, however, is the largest vaccination group of the state, as set out in the summary of the state’s vaccination plan, and it will take several months to work through this phase.
“We still do not have enough vaccines to reach everyone immediately. “Everyone will have the chance to be vaccinated, but phase 1c is a very big part of the community, so we ask that people remain patient, as the vaccination program is still gaining momentum,” said Char.
Registration opportunities for 65 people and older and others in Phase 1c will soon be available via links posted on hawaiicovid19.com and from health care providers across the state.