Mississippi is one of three states that have expanded coronavirus vaccine eligibility to anyone aged 16 and over, and a CNN analysis found that more than a dozen plan to open up to people aged 16 and over by the end of April.
McGee, who lives in Columbus, Mississippi, decided not to waste any time last week.
At 7 the next morning, the college student was on the phone with the Mississippi State Department of Health looking to make an appointment. After some scheduling problems over the phone, he said he got an online appointment for 9:20 am at a Lowndes County drive-through.
It only took 20 minutes for McGee to be vaccinated. At 9:40 am, he was one of the youngest people in Mississippi to have been immunized with a dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.
The Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is authorized in the United States for people over 16, and the Modern Covid-19 vaccine and Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine are both authorized for adults 18 and over.
Alaska was the first state in the U.S. to stop prioritizing certain groups for Covid-19 vaccines and to open vaccination appointments for anyone over 16 who live or work in the state.
McGee said he was surprised that his state was the second, after Alaska, to open the vaccination to anyone aged 16 and over in the general public.
“There are a lot of negative stereotypes about the state, and I think 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 still exist today.” McGee told CNN. “But having this expanded vaccine eligibility, I think, is one thing that Mississippi can be celebrated for.”
A CNN analysis of state health departments found that Covid-19 vaccination eligibility is predicted for people aged 16 and over in certain states on the following schedule:
- March 24: Utah and state-run sites in some Arizona counties
- March 25: Georgia
- March 29: Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, North Dakota
- April 1: Montana
- April 5: Connecticut, Michigan, Tennessee
- April 9: Missouri
- April 12: Illinois
- April 19: Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island
- April 26: Idaho
- April 27: Maryland
- April, undefined: 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 employed a phased distribution of Covid-19 vaccines because of “limited supply of vaccine in relation to demand,” Maura Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, told CNN via email Monday. -market.
“We started with frontline health professionals and long-term residents / staff, then moved backwards through age groups, starting with our residents aged 75 or older,” said Fitzgerald, adding that only in the last Friday the state opened vaccinations for adults 45 and older and announced that those over 16 would become eligible on April 5.
“However, with the increased supply of vaccine from the federal government and the efficiency with which our vaccine suppliers are receiving vaccines, we have been able to accelerate our implementation,” said Fitzgerald.
Tom Hudachko, a Utah Department of Health spokesman, told CNN in an email on Tuesday that when demand starts to decline in priority groups – based on information from vaccine providers in terms of available consultations – then eligibility is open to additional populations.
“Last week, some of our providers reported that up to 15% of their queries were available this week, so we made the decision to open eligibility for 16+,” said Hudachko. “We also anticipate an increase in supply in the coming weeks, so we also count.”
Why there is ‘variability’ in eligibility across states
There is a variability in the states that offer vaccines to all people aged 16 and over and still prioritize groups, as there are differences between states in supply and demand.
“There is a variation in how quickly states opened up their eligibility and part of that has to do with supply,” said Plescia.
For example, Plescia said that in some areas of the Southeast, demand does not seem to be as robust and, therefore, some of these southern states may open vaccines for all people aged 16 and over more quickly than other states in the Northeast or the United States. West Coast where there is still a lot of demand.
“Some states want to be more complete to reach a significant proportion of each group before opening it to more groups,” said Plescia.
“So, I think in some states they can actually spend some time doing a little more disclosure to, say, people over 65 before opening up more widely,” he said. “Although I think there are some states where they opened and the demands will remain with that group, but once the demand starts to decrease – instead of going out and actually trying to recruit more people – they’re just opening up. “
“In most states, it appears that we have the ability to administer the vaccine. It is really just a matter of supply,” said Plescia. “I think with most states, the response to the Biden government’s goal has basically been: ‘Okay, get a large supply where we can meet the needs and we will be ready for that.’ So I think that will be the deciding factor in whether we really have – not an unlimited supply – but a significantly larger supply, where you can open it and know that you will not run out of vaccine. “
Meanwhile, McGee applauds his state of Mississippi for opening vaccines to the general public and told CNN that he is optimistic that President Joe Biden’s hope that all adults will be vaccinated by May 1 will become a reality.
“I think everything is pointing in the right direction,” he said.
‘Supply has driven all this talk’
“Supply has driven all this talk,” said Benjamin.
“The reason for prioritizing in the first place was because we knew the offer would be short in the beginning and then, of course, there was a desire to address health inequities – so these two things, to a certain extent, guided the setting of priorities , ” he said. “At the end of the day, the goal is to vaccinate everyone and we must not leave any stone unturned.”
Now with Biden’s goal of opening vaccination for everyone aged 16 and over by May 1, Benjamin said he anticipates that more states will expand eligibility in the coming days.
“I think you will continue to see states opening up, trying to get ahead of that date – but that will depend entirely on the supply of vaccines,” said Benjamin.