Twelve additional states have opened coronavirus vaccines for everyone over 16, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation vaccine tracker, bringing the national total to 33.
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33 states now offer COVID-19 vaccination for all adults
As of Monday, Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin will allow all eligible adults to receive a vaccine.
These states join Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia Western and Wyoming who have already opened up eligibility for vaccination.
Later this week, Delaware, New York, Maine, North Carolina and Missouri will also open vaccines for everyone over 16, bringing the total to 38 states.
California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia are still limiting vaccinations by age.
The measures are helping the Biden government achieve its goal of having 90 percent of US adults eligible for the coronavirus vaccine by April 19. President Biden had previously set a goal that all US adults would be eligible for the vaccine by May 1.
The supply of vaccines in the United States is increasing, as is the rate of vaccination. Experts predict that, in a matter of weeks, lack of demand will become more of a concern than availability.
According to federal officials, the US is vaccinating an average of 3.1 million people a day. More than 40% of adults get at least one vaccine and nearly one in four adults is fully vaccinated, said White House COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt on Monday.
But at the same time, new infections and hospitalizations are also on the rise, and outbreaks in states like Michigan fuel fears of another increase across the country.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the seven-day average of new cases is about 64,000 cases per day, representing an increase of approximately 7 percent compared to the previous seven-year period. days.
This is the fourth consecutive week of increase in COVID-19 cases, CDC director Rochelle Walensky said during a meeting at the White House on Monday. She attributed the increase in part to new and more contagious variants.
Walensky also said that many of the outbreaks identified among young people are linked to participation in youth sports and extracurricular activities. She noted that the CDC guidelines suggest that these activities should be limited.
The case count showed some signs of a plateau, but many states delayed reporting because of Easter. Many health experts predict another increase after the holiday if unvaccinated people meet indoors, similarly to what happened after all major holidays.
Hospital admissions also increased, to an average of about 4,970 admissions per day last week.
“I understand that people are tired and ready for the end of this pandemic, just like me. Please continue to act and do the things that we know to prevent the spread of the virus,” said Walensky. Monday.
-Updated 13h12
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