Mississippi is one of three states that has increased the eligibility of the coronavirus vaccine for anyone aged 16 and over, and CNN analysis found that more than a dozen people plan to open for people aged 16 and over by the end of April.
McGee, who lives in Columbus, Mississippi, decided to waste some time last week.
By the next morning By noon, a college college student was on the phone with the Mississippi State Department of Health, scheduling an appointment. After a bit of trouble on the phone, he said he got an online appointment at the Londes County Drive-Thu site at 9:20 p.m.
It only took 20 minutes for McGee to be vaccinated. By 9:40 a.m., he was one of the youngest people in Mississippi to be vaccinated with a single dose of the Pfizer / Bioentech Covid-19 vaccine.
The Pfizer / Bioentech Covid-19 vaccine is valid in the United States for those aged 16 and over, and the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine and Johnson’s and Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine are authorized for people 18 and older.
Alaska was the first U.S. state to stop giving preference to certain groups for the Covid-19 vaccine and to open vaccination appointments to everyone 16 years of age or older living or working in the state.
McGuire said his state was second only to Alaska, with the general public surprised to open vaccinations to anyone aged 16 and over.
“There’s a lot of negative attitudes about the state, and I believe some of them are for good reason – the state’s access to health care, the state’s poverty rate, its history of racism are all negative things that exist nowadays,” McGee told CNN. “But to qualify for this vaccine, I think, is something Mississippi can celebrate.”
A CNN analysis by state health departments found that the Covid-19 vaccination qualification is expected to open to people aged 16 and over in certain states by the following timeline:
- March 24: Utah and state-run sites in certain Arizona counties
- March 25: Georgia
- March 29: Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, North Dakota
- April 1: Montana
- 5 5 April: Connecticut, Michigan, Tennessee
- 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 called for a phased rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine due to a “limited supply of on-demand vaccines,” Maura Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, told CNN on Monday. Said.
“We started with frontline healthcare workers and residents / employees of long-term care facilities, then progressed backwards through age brackets starting with our residents aged 75 or over,” Fitzgerald said, opening vaccinations in the state last Friday. People aged 45 and over and those aged 16 and over have announced they will be eligible on April 5th.
“Nevertheless, with the increasing vaccine supply and efficiency from the federal government through which our vaccine providers are getting shot in the arm, we have been able to accelerate our rollout,” Fitzgerald said.
Utah Health Department spokesman Tom Hudachoko told CNN in an email Tuesday that when demand among vaccine providers in terms of available appointments – demand in priority groups begins to decline – then eligibility is opened for an additional population.
“Last week, some of our providers were available as much as 15% of their appointments this week, so we decided to open the eligibility for 16 ++,” Hudachoko said. “We also expect to increase supply next week so that it can be presented as well.”
Why is there ‘variability’ in eligibility in states
There is variability in which states are vaccinating everyone aged 16 and over, and who are still preferring groups, as there is a state-to-state difference in supply and demand.
There is variability in how quickly states have opened up their eligibility and what some of them have to do with supply, Palesia said.
Plassia, for example, said that in some areas in the southeast, demand does not seem so strong and so it may open up vaccinations for people aged 16 and over faster in some southern states than in other northeastern or west coast states. Where there is still much demand.
“In some states they wanted to be more complete to reach significant amounts before opening up to more groups in each group,” Plassia said.
“So I think in some states they can really spend some time reaching out to people over the age of 65 before they open up more extensively,” he said. “While I think there are some states where they’ve opened it and the demands there will be with that group, but once the demand starts to slow down – instead of going out and really trying to recruit more people – they’re just re-opening it. We are. “
“In most states, it looks like we have the capacity to administer the vaccine. It’s really just a matter of supply,” Plessia said. “My guess, with most states, is that the response to the Biden administration’s goal has been basically, ‘Well, we get enough supplies where we can meet the needs and we’re ready to do that.’ So I think ultimately whether we don’t really have an unlimited supply will be a decisive factor – but there’s a significant increase in where you can open it and you know you’re not going to run out. “
McGee, meanwhile, applauded his Mississippi state for opening up vaccinations to the general public and told CNN that he is hopeful that President B Biden hopes all adults will be vaccinated by May 1.
“I think everything is pointing in the right direction,” he said.
‘Supply is all talk’
“Supply has been the whole conversation,” Benjamin said.
“The reason we preferred in the first place was that we knew supply would be low in the beginning, and then willing to deal with health inequalities – so those two things, to some extent, took the priority setting,” he said. “At the end of the day, the goal is to vaccinate everyone and we will leave no stone unturned.”
Now with Biden’s goal of opening vaccinations to everyone aged 16 and over by May 1, Benjamin said he hopes more states will increase eligibility in the coming days.
“I think you’re going to keep trying to get ahead of that date by opening up the states – but that will depend entirely on the vaccine supply,” Benjamin said.
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